Corona pandemic has brought the
whole world to stand still with countries across globe in lockdown mode, in
order to contain the spread of virus and also to reduce the rate of fatalities.
But while executing lockdown and forcing people to adhere the norm, governments
failed to impart proper education to the masses about corona and few things
attached to it, as a result of people developed their own theories which has
now become stigma attached to covid patients and for the people treating them.
I would call it failure of communication machinery while focusing only on one
aspect ie controlling the spread of the disease but ignoring the aspect of
educating people about the disease too.
This stigmatic situation has lead
to lot of problems, like doctors and nurses treating covid patients were not
welcomed back to their houses, some nurses were even forced to vacate their
accommodation. But government agencies and few Samaritans came to the rescue of
health workers and offered them shelter and food. Now government has
collaborated with hotels and lodges for the accommodation along with food for health
workers. Doctors and nurses can stay here peacefully without any threat to
their lives.
Due to the humiliation of covid
19, people are reluctant to come forward to testing or share their contact
tracking details with health official because they fear for the well-being of
the members, they have come in contact with and this is posing as a big
challenge for the agencies.
A doctor, who died in line of
duty while treating Covid patients in Chennai, was denied burial in his
locality and he was buried at far off place mush against his last wish. Now
this doctor’s wife has appealed to the state government as well as the Supreme
Court to honor the last wish of her deceased husband. Even crematoriums are
refusing to cremate dead bodies of covid patients, another challenge for
authorities.
Even people who have defeated
Covid and are back home, their neighbors or society members are still reluctant
to talk or keep any kind of contact with them, as if they don’t exist for them.
This is also posing as a challenge for the authorities.
It is now that the government has
realized about the challenges faced by them due to the stigma attached to covid
and its lack of awareness among masses, coupled with lot of other issues which
may crop up over time. Officials have now decided to address this issue on
priority to stop the growth of covid stigma along with disease.
Recently a high rise apartment in
Mumbai shed off the stigma of covid patient and welcomed a covid recovered patient
back to their society amidst clapping and even shared the video on social
media. While doing so, the norm of physical distancing was adhered to, as precaution
is better than cure.
Now with plasma therapy in place,
I think more people will shed their inhibition towards covid recovered patients
as people will need the blood of cured patients to beat the disease which can
bring some respite to people fighting the disease. Even the survival stories of
cured patients will be inspirational for all those who are fighting with the
disease in hospitals.
Corona patients have already suffered
a lot because of the disease now they want our love and compassion, so let’s
give it to them in abundance. So together let’s just shed out the stigma
attached to covid and spread love and harmony in these testing times.
