Hyderabad: Sanitation staff unfazed by Covid risks, brave all odds

Hyderabad: Along with medical personnel, sanitation workers are in the forefront of stalling the march of the dreaded COVID-19 virus. They are striving day and night to keep the hospital premises clean and hygienic.

As part of their strenuous and precarious duty in the fight against the Covid, the workers have chosen to stay in ashram, hostels or shelter homes at Gandhi Hospital and are refusing to go home for fear that they may put their loved ones in peril.

There are around 200 outsourced staff at the Gandhi Hospital. For the past several days, these workers have been unable to go homes in city or native places.

They are kind of 'ostracised' by their neighbourhood due to the fear associated with the Coronavirus. Speaking to The Hans India, Krishnaamma, a sanitation worker and union leader of sanitary and workers union, said, "The ashram accommodation was earlier for the attendants who had to stay with the patients.

However, as the hospital is currently admitting only Covid-19 patients, the ashram is empty, and we are allowing the sanitation workers to stay there.

Around 30 of these workers are staying in the hostels and shelter homes." She further said, "Those who stay nearby go home and the others who have to travel far away are asked not to enter their colonies and villages and are accordingly accommodated here."

Many of the workers reside on the outskirts of city. Those who could go home are taking care not to move near anyone in their houses. One of the workers bemoaned that there are no arrangements for food for the workers either.

We have to go staff nurses and ask them to provide us some food, which is usually cooked for patients." Some of them want to go back to their villages, but are being asked by people there to bring certificates that they have tested negative for Covid-19 ."

Krishnaamma said, "It is difficult for us to work at the hospital, wearing those PPE kits. We are not even having time to eat or take a 5-minute break.

There were instances when patients fell sick to such an extent that they puked and we had to clean it."