Health care workers are an essential part of the population, now more than ever. The COVID-19 pandemic has brought about a whole onslaught of challenges that have tested every human build institution. One of the biggest challenges faced is obviously by hospitals and other medical professions, as they're the frontline warriors during this pandemic. Certain jobs have always been more dangerous, such as being a firefighter, truck driver, or in the army. But medical professionals' situation is a unique one, where the level of danger and difficulty of work has sky-rocketed in recent months.
Hospitals and related healthcare structures have been quick to adapt to the pandemic's needs, but this has not always been entirely effective. Healthcare workers are facing a whole new set of challenges:
• Lack of personal protective equipment, ventilators, and other essential equipment in hospitals has been a cause of danger and loss of life.
• Dwindling supplies and other necessary infrastructure.
• Long working hours due to the volume of patients getting admitted to hospitals and colleagues getting sick.
• Being quarantined away from home to avoid infecting loved ones and others around.
• Lack of public knowledge about the virus, like how to avoid contracting it, has increased the burden on hospitals.
• Weak leadership failing to provide proper information regarding the pandemic and its spread. Many governments around the world have been unable to set-up a competent legislature to contain the epidemic.
As everyday citizens, we can help medical professionals best by staying at home. Avoid going out unless necessary, do not meet in groups, sanitize your hands regularly, and use masks and gloves when you go out. If you'd like to contribute further, you may donate to hospitals or to organizations set up for COVID-relief as many people have lost their means of income during the pandemic.
