March_eMagazine Volume 39

More documents

Recommendations

Info

OUR PEOPLE, OUR MISSION Global Health eMagazine March 2022 COVID-19: Reflections from a Russian Resident Physician Part 1 Written by Aliya S. Zakirova, MD PGY-1, Primary Care, Kazan State Medical University, Kazan, Republic of Tatarstan, Russian Federation I first heard about COVID-19 at the Department of Infectious Diseases. It was Spring of 2019, and coincidentally we were taking a course on respiratory infections. The first cases of infection had appeared in China. At that time, it was difficult for us to imagine the scale of this infectious disease. We learned about the disease only through our teachers and mass media. We tried to find information about coronavirus diseases in textbooks, but there was almost none. At the end of February 2020, tourists from the “Diamond Princes” cruise liner were evacuated to Kazan from Tokyo, Japan. They were placed in separate isolation units at the infectious diseases hospital. This was our first encounter with COVID-19 patients and we were trained with the help of these cases. It was then I realized that the infection was at our doorstep. I was both curious about what was going on and also terrified of an unknown new disease. A Note from Dr. Sadigh Reflections on 2021 Highlights Nursing Division SARS COV-2 Pandemic and Us Unification Condolences: Paul Farmer Art to Remind Us of Who We Can Be Articles of the Month Videos of the Month Announcements Calendar Resources After some time, the first imported cases began to appear throughout Russia. Hospitals began to prepare red zones, isolation wards, new triage zones, and train the medical and paramedical staff. The country was in lockdown (quarantine) and we moved to distance learning. The ease of online messengers and conferences provided us with virtual access to all colleagues without any exceptions, even those who, in other circumstances, we would never have invited to our home. It was very unusual and difficult for me to study remotely. We analyzed the theory, solved clinical cases, but we did not have the opportunity to communicate with live patients and there were not enough live patient discussions. The system of medical education in Russia is designed in a way that it allows third-year medical students to obtain a nursing certificate by taking special exams. I took this opportunity to learn more about all the diseases and develop skills in communicating with patients. Upon passing all the exams and obtaining the license, I started working in the department of medicine as a nurse. This allowed me to closely work with patients infected with COVID-19 and have a better understanding of the diseases as well as patients’ sufferings. This also helped hone my skills. I could boldly communicate with patients, felt confident, and learned to do many interventions, much faster and more accurately. I began to understand diseases and recognize them. Sometimes it was very interesting because there were differences between real life cases and theory. As the number of infected people increased, patients infected by SARS-Cov-2 began to appear in areas that were previously untouched. At first, it was not clear how to behave when meeting a friend or a colleague: A hug? A handshake? When it’s a close friend or a relative and you really want to hug, what should you do? Meet in-person or simply chat using a messenger? Where was this person before meeting you? Do they use hand sanitizer? Do they wash their hands? Is it okay to sit next to each other on a bench or just sit and maintain appropriate distance? Is it polite to ask if they are ill, or simply inquire about their health? What’s next? Plenty of questions with few answers. Pandemic and Us continued on next page >> 14
OUR PEOPLE, OUR MISSION Global Health eMagazine March 2022 I Am Still Trying to Catch up With My Academic Journey Part 1 Written by Natukunda Ferguson Medical Student, MakCHS I am a third-year medical student at Makerere University, Uganda pursuing a Bachelor’s degree in Medicine and Surgery which is a five-year program. On the evening of March, 18, 2020 as I was seated in the library preparing for my immunology progressive exam that was due the following day, H.E. Yoweri Kaguta Museveni announced a one-month lockdown during the presidential address due to the COVID-19 pandemic. It targeted gathering places, schools and institutions of higher education inclusive. At that instant, I felt relieved that I was getting a short break from the hectic school routine to relax and prepare more extensively for forthcoming progressive and summative second-year, second semester exams. I also did not want to get infected with the coronavirus that made news all over the world, spreading like wildfire from Wuhan, China to reach Uganda in just a blink of an eye. A Note from Dr. Sadigh Reflections on 2021 Highlights Nursing Division SARS COV-2 Pandemic and Us Unification Condolences: Paul Farmer Art to Remind Us of Who We Can Be Articles of the Month Videos of the Month Announcements Calendar I packed my belongings that night andboarded the earliest Gateway bus from Kampala Capital City to my home district Ntungamo the following morning. I planned for the short holiday and used the first two weeks to rest before resuming revision the third week. I closely followed media updates as those who tested positive increased with each day that passed and by instinct, I felt that opening schools after one month would not be possible. As the month came to a close, the president addressed the nation again, pushing the lockdown for another twenty-one days. Extending the lockdown then became the order of the day. Fourteen days, twenty-one days, fourteen days again and so forth to the extent that it became a slogan that each time the president addressed the nation, the phrase “schools to remain closed for another twenty-one or so days” was never missed. With the consecutive extensions of the lockdown, I gradually lost hope of returning to school. COVID-19 cases continued to skyrocket which scared me as I could imagine the stigma of testing positive and being isolated from the people I love. The pace at which I was revising books kept on getting low, the home environment was unfavorable for studying and the zeal to keep up kept reducing. Two months down the road I completely lost the motivation to study and decided to find other ways of keeping busy and productive. I started reading novels, something I had never done in my entire life. It was boring at the start but got interesting along the way. I started with Stephen Covey’s Ten Habits of Highly Effective People and then read Paulo Coelho’s The Alchemist which were recommendations from friends. I also became more involved in helping with housework, going to the garden and farms, and started a poultry rearing farm. I watched a few movies, the famous dance party on NBS television, and played board games with my siblings. After spending four months at home, the things that interested me earlier no longer did. Days seemed like weeks. I could clearly see that my medical career was at stake. I started feeling that I would not make a good doctor, and would be older by the time I finished school. The graduation date was moving further and further away. I could no longer see my plans of pursuing postgraduate studies, marrying, or making money coming true. Resources Click here to visit the Nuvance Health Global Health Program COVID-19 Resource Center Pandemic and Us continued on next page >> 15
Page 1 and 2: February 2022 Volume 39 NUVANCE HEA
Page 3 and 4: OUR PEOPLE, OUR MISSION Global Heal
Page 13: OUR PEOPLE, OUR MISSION Global Heal
Page 25 and 26: OUR PEOPLE, OUR MISSION CALENDAR OF

March_eMagazine Volume 39

Create successful ePaper yourself

Delete template?

Save as template?