Field hospital nurse Ramya Radhakrishnan was proud to serve her adopted nation

Abu Dhabi: Before the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic, Indian nurse Ramya Radhakrishnan’s toughest professional challenge was her daily commute from her family home in Ajman to her job in Dubai.

However, that all changed in April 2020. Her life was about to take a dramatic turn and she would need all the experience garnered in a medical career spanning 11 years.

Having worked in the preventative medicine department at the Ministry of Health in Dubai for two years, there were little patient care duties to perform. Then, when the pandemic arrived, Ramya was asked to work in a COVID-19 hospital in Sharjah.

“I still don’t know how to put into words how I felt that day. I was the only one from my department asked to go there and I felt all alone. I was assigned there because I used to work in India as an ICU nurse during the H1N1 outbreak, where I was sent to an isolation unit for five months.”

Ramya admits that despite her previous experience, nothing could have prepared her for working with critically ill COVID-19 patients for 12 hours every day. “Even as a seasoned medical professional, this was something new”.

“My main concern initially was the risk of infecting my family – I have two children, an eight-year-old boy and a four-year-old girl – but the hospital gave me hotel accommodation so that I didn’t have to go home to them. I did feel anxious going into the hospital, especially on the first day as it was a completely unfamiliar environment.”

“Working with new equipment and colleagues whom she had never met before – all while wearing full personal protective equipment (PPE) for 12 hours – was tough,” she admits. “But the situation demanded that we cope and teamwork was paramount; we all supported each other to focus on the job at hand.”

In addition to the physical discomfort, the job exacted a heavy emotional toll. With so many patients to care for, despite the valiant efforts by Ramya and her team, people still passed away.

“This was the searing part of the experience, watching otherwise healthy young people – some in their 30s and 40s –going into full organ failure, and there was little we could do for them. We are all humans and even as nurses, it doesn’t get easier when a patient loses their life.”

“On the other hand, when patients recovered, it proved to be a tremendously uplifting feeling. That is certainly one of the motivations that kept me going, especially as families expressed their gratitude and told us how much they appreciated the medical care we had provided.”

During the initial surge of COVID-19 cases, Ramya spent one and a half months in hotel accommodation in Sharjah and didn’t see her family. Her desire to spend time with her children was tempered by concern for their safety and for the safety of everyone else in the family.

“I tried to stay distant from my kids, but it was virtually impossible for them not to hug me. So, I only spoke to my kids on video calls. My husband was also very supportive; he took leave from work to look after the children and after that we had to rely on family members and friends.”

She says that the experience also cemented her appreciation of the UAE government, which truly showed care and support to everyone affected, irrespective of who they are or where they come from.

“I am from another country and I worked with patients of many different nationalities, all of whom received the best quality of care, free of charge. It is thanks to the government’s efforts that we made progress against the virus.”

Ramya says she learned many things during COVID-19, but the most important lesson is to appreciate what she has. The pandemic has undeniably strengthened the bond between her and her family members.

“Life is very delicate and we cannot predict what is going to happen next. We must appreciate every day we have while we are here,” concluded Ramya.

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© Press Release 2021