Beáta Grill, who has been working as a head nurse in the cardiology department of Mount Sinai Hospital for nearly three years, is experiencing the heroic struggle of doctors and nurses up close, or, as they say in New York recently, from the ‘front line’. The Hungarian head nurse talked about how they fight the coronavirus and how it affects them emotionally, Szeretlekmagyarország pointed out.
“By any means, we (healthcare workers) go to work, so that we can help others. But it is very difficult to comprehend. There are times when I cry, other times I just try to contain my emotions” – Beáta Grill said in an interview with RTL Klub.
Unfortunately, many people die alone; they cannot see their loved ones in their last moments, because no one can be there with them to hold their hand. She said that for some patients at least they can make a conference call so that they can see their family through video in their very last minutes, but this is emotionally burdening for both family members and healthcare workers.
Beáta Grill said that the hospital discontinued all non-life-saving surgery functions for about the past 3 weeks. The cardiology department, for example, has ceased to exist as it was before. Now it only consists of the necessary equipment for life-saving procedures. They postpone every procedure they can, so that patients are not exposed. All doctors and nurses were trained to be able to perform intensive care unit tasks, and everyone was taught how to use ventilators.
Healthcare workers have already died at the hospital, and several are on a ventilator in their own hospital. Everyone is afraid of getting infected, says Beáta. Because it is such an unpredictable virus, we do not know how our bodies would respond to it.
“I saw a 36-year-old, completely healthy person die from the coronavirus,” – Beáta said.
You can check out the full interview here: