You’re a nonviolent army: Rahul Gandhi to nurses

Aditi Tandon

Tribune News Service

New Delhi, July 1

Congress leader Rahul Gandhi on Wednesday interacted with four Indian nurses working in different countries including India and said they were a nonviolent army fighting the Covid-19 virus.

Gandhi assured during the interaction that he would take up the issue of pending Delhi government compensation to frontline Covid warriors who have fallen to the virus.

The issue was flagged by Indian nurse Vipin Krishnan, currently employed at AIIMS New Delhi, during the interaction.

“Two nurses have died in Delhi, they were from South India. One X-ray technician. One retired doctor from AIIMS passed away and one serving person in the sanitation department, we lost him unfortunately. However, they are yet to receive the compensation of Rs 1 crore announced by the Delhi Government,” Krishnan, who hails from Kerala, said.

Krishnan also sought Gandhi’s help for inclusion of nurses in the risk allowance category, saying nurses were fighting a bio-war like the army.

“Yes you’re a nonviolent army,” Gandhi said, assuring help.

The conversation involved Krishnan, Anu Ragnat, an Indian nurse from Gandhi’s Lok Sabha segment Wayanad and currently working in New Zealand, Narendra Singh, originally from Rajasthan’s Sikar and currently in Australia and Sherlylmol Puravady, an Indian nurse settled in United Kingdom.

The discussion saw Ragnat hailing New Zealand for its “hard and early response to the virus”, Narendra Singh stressing on the importance of hand hygiene and Sheryl speaking of how despite working in acute medical unit in Liverpool neither she nor her colleagues caught the virus.

Gandhi used the occasion to express concern that many hospitals in Delhi were not being allowed to test Covid-19, which meant many private hospitals didn’t know if the patients they were encountering had the virus.

Krishnan laid out the data to highlight low testing in Delhi where cases have been surging.

“On May 27, the infection rate in Delhi was 13.7%. We were doing 7000 tests per day. By June 12-13, our infection rate had crossed 30% and we are doing under 5000 tests per day. This is surprising given that our deaths and infection rates are increasing, but we have reduced testing,” Krishnan said.

Krishnan also cited AIIMS Director‘s projection that a peak would arrive in mid-July. “Delhi CM has stated that they are expecting 5.5 lakh cases. We have 10,000 beds in Delhi. How will we manage?” Krishnan said.

The half-an-hour long interaction also saw Sheryl laud people in the UK for being respectful to nurses. “We have dedicated shopping time for the NHS staff or the care workers. Every Thursday the government is, you know, putting it as the clapping for carers and things like that. So it is so supportive, all supermarkets are very supportive,” Sheryl said.

Gandhi also asked why Indian nurses were so coveted worldwide and the answer was — they are dedicated and diligent.