-Anika Dahal Acharya
Hero: Courage, assurance, grit, respectability, bravery, the capacity to forfeit oneself for the sake of someone else or for a meaningful idea. Heroism is a goodness of chivalrous activity; it is dedication, fearless, penance for incredible and honorable reason. Heroism communicates a thought higher than responsibility, despite the fact that dedication could be called heroism when it is based on unselfishness joined with the exhibition of an incredible and excruciating obligation.
Consistently, nurses are committing their lives in helping other people. These nurses don't consider themselves to be hero. They followed up on instincts, snappy reasoning, and a desire to help. This craving to help is the explanation they became nurses. They took a chance with their own wellbeing to help other people. Their stories inspire everyone. Nursing is an incredible profession, one with numerous unrecognized yet truly great individuals (the unsung hero). They anticipate no awards, no medals, and no flourishes. Simply participating in the noble acts of life, like virtue, is its own reward. An inflexible promise to profound quality is the establishment of gallantry this year, the day is devoted to honoring nurses and midwives yet it's conceivable no one will take note. The nurses are simply excessively occupied with the viciousness of the pandemic today.
Since the ancient period nurses have devoted their life for the well being of others. A century ago, in 1918 during the outbreak of influenza virus, erroneously known as Spanish flu, it infected 500 million people – about a third of the world's population at the time. It is estimated that the death toll from Spanish flu have been anywhere from 17 million to 50 million, and possibly as high as 100 million, making it one of the deadliest pandemics in human history.
The mortality records from U.S. and British Armies during the First World War and obituary notices in national medical association journals were reviewed to ascertain death notices of nurses and physicians likely to have died of influenza. The review of the record showed approximately 21000 US military nurses, 26000 British military nurses, and 31000 US medical officers and 15000 British medical officers were serving in their respective home lands or deployed overseas. Nursing and medical officers’ deaths during the First World War were generally caused by disease and usually well documented by their respective medical units. llness‐related (Influenza) mortality among U.S. military nurses (1•05%) was one and one‐half times higher than among U.S. medical officers (0•68%), nearly two times higher than among British medical officers (0•55%), and nine times higher than among British nurses (0•12%). Among U.S. nursing officers, mortality was approximately twice as high among those assigned in the United States than in Europe. During the 1918–1919 flu pandemic, most nurses and doctors kept on working – without persistent patient isolation procedures; personal protective equipment or measures; antiviral or antibacterial medications; or antibodies against flu or respiratory microscopic organisms. Disregarding their innovative destitution, nurses and doctors adhered to their posts notwithstanding the most deadly clinical fiasco in history.
The first pandemic of 21st century was severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS), the 2003 outbreak of (SARS) stunned the world because it spread quickly from countries to countries, coming about in more than 8000 contaminations, with around 10% mortality, and an annihilating impact on neighborhood and territorial economies.
A retrospective cohort study was done among 43 nurses who worked in two Toronto critical care units with SARS patients. Forty-three nurses worked at least one shift in a critical care unit where there was a patient with SARS; 37 worked in ICU and 6 in CCU. Eight nurses were infected with SARS, four who worked only in the ICU, three who worked only in the CCU, and one ICU nurse who worked one shift in the CCU. The probability of SARS infection was 6% per shift worked.
The episodes of the Ebola infection, SARS and H1N1 flu has made everyone realize that we are not giving enough insurance and assets to nurses. The 2014–2016 flare-up of the Ebola infection in West Africa came about in more than 11000 deaths, a significant number of whom were health care workers. In 2015, a study showed during May, 0.02% of Guinea population died of ebola compared with 1.45% of the country’s doctors, nurses, and midwives. Likewise, the SARS outbreak in 2003 also raised concerns about protection of healthcare workers. Globally, 20% of confirmed SARS cases were healthcare workers.
With more than 40 lakhs cases worldwide and more than 2 lakhs death life under coronavirus has been miserable. For hospital nurses, life under the corona virus is a trudge of safety measures, dread and obligation. According to International Council of Nurses (ICN) at least 90,000 healthcare workers had been infected with corona virus and more than 260 nurses had died in this pandemic. The statistics of the infection and death of nurses from corona virus is still in query. There has not been official record of the stated problem. The World Health Organization(WHO) stated that nurses are on the frontline fighting COVID-19 but “an alarming failure” in the global supply of protective clothing and new corona virus tests – together with “unprecedented” overwork linked to global staff shortages - have highlighted how vulnerable they are.
The nursing profession is confronted with various difficulties including low prestige, poor open recognition, financial issues, stressful conditions, and absence of expert delight combined with lack of nursing work force. The nursing profession is at junction. The prestige of this profession has not kept up to its growth, and thus, less people are joining this profession. So the failure of the profession could be addressed not only by funding and education but also by proper recognition of the profession and giving the nurses the appreciation they deserve.
In the direness of all the chaos created by COVID-19, all things considered, we've neglected to thank the individuals at the focal point, all things considered, our fearless nurses, the unsung hero of the pandemic. Nurses are in the front lines of care. They go in the battle and if they are lucky they emerge without any scar but mostly they carry physical and emotional battle scar.
So, this is to every nurses out there, you are true hero, amidst of your family, personal life, you choose to serve us and have chosen selflessness over self preservation. Thank you for all the hard work and staying committed to help people knowing the risks involved. Thank you for being in frontline and risking your life despite of lack of PPE. Thank you for your courage, dedication, compassion and humanity. Thank you for the greatest sacrifices you are making and for the kindness and empathy you manage to keep bringing into this unimaginable situation. Thank you for early mornings, late nights and days staying every second with the patients, ensuring their safety and coping with the fear of transmission. Thank you for making it this far to keep the community safe. Thank you endlessly for putting your lives on the line for the sake of others. You are sacrificing your family time, you are not able to meet your loved ones, your infant baby, your elderly parents to save people’s lives and to maintain normalcy. Because of your ravishing efforts, we all can trust that our loved ones will be safe during this crisis. I hope when all this chaos will end, you will be appreciated, treasured, valued and have the recognition you deserve.
(Nursing Lecturer)