ਅੱਜ ਜਦੋਂ ਅਸੀਂ ਇੱਕ ਮਹਾਂਵਾਰੀ ਦੇ ਦੌਰ ਵਿਚੋਂ ਗੁਜਰ ਰਹੇ ਹਾਂ ਜਿਸ ਨੂੰ ਕੋਵਿਡ-19 ਦੇ ਨਾਂ ਨਾਲ ਜਾਣੀਆਂ ਜਾਂਦਾ ਹੈ । ਅਸੀਂ ਕੁੱਝ ਸਮੇ ਤੋਂ ਦੇਖ ਰਹੇ ਹਾਂ ਕਿ ਮਾਨਸਿਕ ਤਨਾਓ ਦੇ ਮਰੀਜ਼ ਵੱਧ ਰਹੇ ਹਨ। ਕਿਉਂ ਕਿ ਅਸੀਂ ਬਹੁਤ ਸਾਰੀਆਂ ਸੱਮਸਿਆਵਾਂ ਵਿਚੋਂ ਦੀ ਗੁਜਰ ਰਹੇ ਹਾਂ, ਅਸੀਂ ਦੇਖ ਰਹੇ ਹਾਂ ਕਿ ਸਾਡੇ ਆਸੇ ਪਾਸੇ ਦਾ ਮਾਹੌਲ ਬਹੁਤ ਹੀ ਅਸੁਰੱਖਿਆ ਹੋ ਗਿਆ ਹੈ, ਇਸ ਦਾ ਜਿਆਦਾਤਰ ਅਸਰ ਸਕੂਲ ਅਤੇ ਕਾਲਜਾਂ ਦੇ ਵਿਦਿਆਰਥੀਆਂ ਤੇ ਪੈ ਰਿਹਾ ਹੈ ਉਹਨਾਂ ਵਿੱਚ ਬੇਚੈਨੀ, ਡਰ, ਘਬਰਾਹਟ, ਇਕੱਲਾ ਪਨ, ਉਦਾਸੀ , ਨੀਂਦ ਨਾ ਆਉਣਾ ਆਦਿ ਵਰਗੀਆਂ ਸੱਮਸਿਆਵਾਂ ਦੇਖਿਆਂ ਜਾ ਸਕਦੀਆਂ ਹਨ, ਖਾਸ ਕਰਕੇ ਆਪਣੇ ਭਵਿੱਖ ਨੂੰ ਲੈ ਕੇ ਬਹੁਤ ਚਿੰਤਤ ਹੋ ਰਹੇ ਹਨ, ਉਹਨਾਂ ਨੂੰ ਚਾਹੇ ਅਧਿਆਪਕ ਔਨਲਾਈਨ ਐਜੂਕੇਸ਼ਨ ਦੇ ਰਹੇ ਹਨ ਪਰ ਫਿਰ ਵੀ ਬੱਚਿਆਂ ਨਾਲ ਆਮਨੇ ਸਾਮਣੇ ਬੈਠ ਕੇ ਗੱਲਬਾਤ ਕਰਨੀ ਅਤੇ ਬੱਚਿਆਂ ਵਿੱਚ ਆਪਸੀ ਮੇਲ ਮਿਲਾਪ ਘੱਟ ਰਿਹਾ ਹੈ ਇਸ ਨਾਲ ਇਕੱਲੇ ਘਰ ਵਿੱਚ ਰਹਿਣ ਨਾਲ ਉਹਨਾਂ ਦੇ ਸੁਭਾਅ ਵਿੱਚ ਚਿੜ- ਚਿੜਾ ਪਨ, ਸੁਸਤੀ, ਕਿਸੇ ਕੰਮ ਵਿੱਚ ਦਿਲਚਸਪੀ ਨਾ ਲੈਣ ਵਰਗੀਆਂ ਮਾਨਸਿਕ ਬਿਮਾਰੀਆਂ ਪੈਦਾ ਹੋ ਰਹੀਆਂ ਹਨ। ਇਸ ਦੇ ਨਾਲ ਜਿਆਦਾ ਮੋਬਾਇਲ ਫੋਨ ਵਰਤਣ ਦੀ ਆਦਤ ਵੀ ਪੈ ਰਹੀ ਹੈ ਦੂਜੇ ਪਾਸੇ ਆਮ ਆਦਮੀ ਤੇ ਵੀ ਮਾਨਸਿਕ ਆਰਥਿਕ ਅਤੇ ਸਰੀਰਕ ਬਿਮਾਰੀਆਂ ਵਧ ਰਹੀਆਂ ਹਨ ।ਆਦੇਸ਼ ਹਸਪਤਾਲ ਦੇ ਮਾਨਸਿਕ ਰੋਗਾਂ ਦੇ ਵਿਭਾਗ ਡਾ. ਗੁਰਮੀਤ ਕੌਰ ਨੇ ਗਲ ਬਾਤ ਕਰਦਿਆਂ ਦੱਸਿਆ ਕਿ ਮਹਾਂਮਾਰੀ ਵੀ ਬਾਕੀ ਬਿਮਾਰੀਆਂ ਵਾਂਗੂੰ ਚਲੀ ਜਾ ਰਹੀ ਹੈ ਅਤੇ ਜਲਦੀ ਹੀ ਖਤਮ ਹੋ ਜਾਵੇਗੀ, ਇਸ ਤੋਂ ਡਰਨ ਦੀ ਜਰੂਰਤ ਨਹੀਂ ਹੈ ਸਾਨੂੰ ਆਪਣਿਆਂ ਸਾਵਧਾਨੀਆਂ ਵਰਤਨੀਆਂ ਚਾਹੀਦੀਆਂ ਹਨ ਜਿਵੇਂ ਕਿ ਚੰਗੀ ਖੁਰਾਕ ਜੋ ਕਿ ਸ਼ਰੀਰ ਦੀ ਬਿਮਾਰੀਆਂ ਲੜਨ ਵਾਲੀ ਤਾਕਤ ਨੂੰ ਵਧਾਉਂਦੀ ਹੈ, ਬੱਚਿਆਂ ਨਾਲ ਰਲ ਕੇ ਬੈਠਣਾ ਅਤੇ ਕਸਰਤ ਕਰਨੀ, ਵਿਹਲੇ ਸਮੇਂ ਵਿੱਚ ਆਪਣੇ ਮਨਪਰਚਾਵੇ ਲਈ ਵੱਖ ਵੱਖ ਗਤਿਵਿਧਿਆਂ ਕਰਨੀਆਂ ਚਾਹੀਦੀਆਂ ਹਨ ਜਿਵੇਂ ਕਿ ਆਪਣੇ ਪਰਿਵਾਰ ਦੇ ਨਾਲ ਕੰਮ ਕਰਨ ਵਿੱਚ ਮਦਦ ਕਰਨਾ। ਮਨਰੋਜਨ ਗਤਿਵਿਧਿਆਂ ਜਿਵੇਂ ਵੱਖ- ਵੱਖ ਖੇਡਾਂ ਖੇਡਣੀਆਂ ਅਤੇ ਨਵੇਂ ਨਵੇਂ ਪਕਵਾਨ ਬਣਾਉਣੇ ਸਿੱਖਣਾ ਆਦਿ। ਸ਼ੋਸ਼ਲ ਮੀਡੀਆ ਘਟ ਤੋਂ ਘਟ ਵਰਤੋ ਕਰਨਾ ਤੇ ਕਰੋਨਾ ਤੇ ਸੰਬੰਧਿਤ ਖਬਰਾਂ ਘਟ ਤੋਂ ਘਟ ਦੇਖਣੀਆਂ ਹਨ ਅਤੇ ਅਫ਼ਵਾਵਾਂ ਤੇ ਭਰੋਸਾ ਨਹੀਂ ਕਰਨਾ ਜੇਕਰ ਕਿਸੁ ਨੂੰ ਵੀ ਮਾਨਸਿਕ ਤਨਾਫ਼ ਹੈ ਤਾਂ ਨੇੜੇ ਦੇ ਕਿਸੇ ਮਨੋਵਿਗਿਆਨੀਕ ਡਾਕਟਰ ਨੂੰ ਦਿਖਾਉਣਾ ਚਾਹੀਦਾ ਹੈ। ਡਾ. ਗੁਰਮੀਤ ਕੌਰ ਨੇ ਕਿਹਾ ਕਿ ਸਾਵਧਾਨੀਆਂ ਵਰਤਦੇ ਹੋਏ ਆਪਣੇ ਆਪ ਨੂੰ ਹਮੇਸ਼ਾ ਖੁਸ਼ ਰੱਖੋ ਤੇ ਸੇਹਤਮੰਦ ਰਹੋ । ਆਦੇਸ਼ ਹਸਪਤਾਲ ਦੇ ਮਾਹਿਰ ਡਾਕਟਰਾਂ ਦੀ ਟੀਮ ਦੁਆਰਾ ਮਾਨਸਿਕ ਰੋਗਾਂ ਦੇ ਮਰੀਜਾਂ ਦਾ ਬਹੁਤ ਵਧੀਆ ਤਰੀਕੇ ਨਾਲ ਇਲਾਜ ਕੀਤਾ ਜਾਂਦਾ ਹੈ।
The COVID-19 outbreak is caused by the ICTV (International Committee on Taxonomy of Viruses) labelled severe acute respiratory syndrome corona virus2 (SARS‑CoV‑2). The outbreak was first identified in wuhan, China, in early December 2019. On 30 January, the world health organisation declared the outbreak a Public Health Emergency of International concern, and on 11 March, declared it as a pandemic.
The first case of COVID-19 pandemic was reported from India on 30th January and subsequently witnessed a surge in month of march, followed by declaration of largest national lockdown in world on 24th of March by Prime-minster of India; and that was further extended twice and now again is planned to be extended beyond 17th May, although with differently laid rules/regulations and more relaxations. As of May 25, India has reported about 140K confirmed cases and 4K deaths from COVID-19 . The tough and timely lockdown by India has provided the government time to prepare for worst case scenario and has delayed the pandemic peak. But India’s second largest population of world of 1.3 billion and highly condensed across diverse states along with different social and cultural values, health inequalities, widening economic disparities present unique challenges.
COVID-19 pandemic has a deep impact on the way we perceive our world and our everyday lives. It has affected the people socially, physically and emotionally and almost affected very aspect of the life.
Education: In India, Corona has affected education in many ways than one. Education which is considered as the shrine for enlightenment has been overshadowed by Corona both in letter and spirit. Schools and colleges have shut down, large crowds of students that wondered at coaching centres like bees around a hive are nowhere to be seen and the exams both academic and competitive are postponed or cancelled. This closure has affected not only students but also parents, teachers and their families. Unfortunately, unlike their western counterparts all around the world, Indian institutes were unable to make a paradigm shift to online platform mainly due to lack of infrastructure and initiation. Those who were able to shift to online classes saw a spike in registration which indicates a positive response that students are still willing to learn and grow albeit this pandemic crisis.
Workplace: Workplace in India or for anywhere in the world for that matter has been divided into essential and non essential. Before this pandemic, people had a regular job for their paychecks without giving a second thought whether what they’re doing is essential or non essential. They used to interact with people, have a laugh with their co workers and call it a day. Now situation has drastically changed. For some, it has come down to a standstill while others had to adjust to a new normal.
Those who were employed in essential services like banking and healthcare have to ensure every precaution for their safety. They have developed paranoia of some sort where even a usual sneeze or cough is seen with scepticism. Those who were employed in non essential work are either working from home or unemployed. Working from home has its own share of differences as to working from a workplace. Even though people have a relaxation in their work timings, they miss the usual gossip or laugh or two they enjoyed in a workplace before pandemic.
Social Gatherings: Social gatherings in India have almost a become a thing of the past. Those kitty parties attended by woman, the big fat Indian weddings and the cremation ceremonies have all disappeared. Some social gatherings have shifted to video calling, Weddings have either delayed or are now done in a court marriage style gathering with few people attending and people are quietly cremating and grieving their loved ones. Gatherings at religious institutions and other sacred places have come to a halt with people worshipping from home and hoping this pandemic ends soon.
Economy: This Pandemic has affected the large scale industries as well as small business around the Globe. Even before coronavirus surfaced in India, the country’s economy was not in great shape. To make matters worse, pandemic has hampered economic activity to even a greater extent. Most of the businesses are now grappling with tremendous uncertainty about their future. Major companies in India have temporarily suspended or significantly reduced operations. Many E-Commerce companies who were enjoying tremendous growth before are now focusing on essentials goods and services while others are found to be taking advantage of this pandemic to fill their pockets by stockpiling supply and cause disruption demand and supply increasing prices. The lockdown has affected the already vulnerable population like labourers/daily wage workers leading to loss of livelihood, starvation and poverty. The pandemic has exposed India’s apathy towards migrant workers. The recently announced much needed 20 lakhs crores (10% of GDP) economic package to provide relief to the people and help the country figh the fallout of pandemic is a big step forward.
Environment: One of the few sectors that saw a positive impact due to corona has been undeniably environment. Due to less industrial activities and even a lesser human mobilisation it has caused a decline in industrial effluents and transport emissions which has resulted in decrease in particulate matter and a cleaner air. Prime example of this can be seen in metro cities like Delhi and Benguluru where air quality index is observed within 2 digits observing clearer skies. Water bodies like Ganga and Yamuna have seen a significant improvement too suitable for fisheries and wildlife propagation.
Healthcare services: The healthcare sector is at the epicentre of this global pandemic. It has exposed the lack of healthcare facilities in even the most developed nations let alone in India. Most healthcare institutions in India are overcrowded, under staffed and have limited resources to face this unprecedented challenge. Despite this, doctors in India have risen up to the occasion and are fighting in frontline in this war against mankind. Health care workers are actually corona warriors working in the care of COVID patients around the clock. They are risking their lives protecting others. Duty overtimes, shift work schedules, worsening of work environment and staying away from the family have exposed the doctors to develop anxiety, depression and burnt-out syndrome. Shortage of PPE has been a major concern for doctors exposing them directly to the infection and risking their lives, although over time government has been able to tackle the problem more efficiently
COVID-19 has given birth to another kind of dilemma. Many healthcare facilities are now prioritising covid testing over other equally needful healthcare facilities. The non-covid patients have suffered immensely form this crisis as some of them hesitate to seek health care service with fear of acquiring infection particularly given some prior co-morbidities and more importantly due to disruption of non-covid health services caused by limited OPD and inpatients services by doctors at many of places, mounted on the panic of infection transmission has made the situation more grim.
Socially, Positive corona patients are observed with an attached stigma and treated as untouchables which have made some other potential patients with possible symptoms failing to come out of closet. Moreover even though doctors have put their life at stake to save millions of lives, society fails to perceive it that way. They have condemned doctors in some parts of the country despite their best efforts. Once this crisis is over, we will need to rethink and revaluate ourselves on how it would have all panned out if they failed to fulfil their duties. India’s public health care system is under-funded (1.28% of GDP) compared to many other countries and this pandemic is wake up call for Indian public health care system to implement major changes with better funding, development of infra-structure and more production of qualified health care professionals.
As we live through this unusual phase in human history, one thing is clear that the life as we know it has changed forever. Corona is going to stay for a long time with us. We can’t revolve around that all the time and let our focus stray. We need to live with the virus. We will have make our economy function while protecting ourselves from infection. Practising social distancing and wearing masks would be routine in our life. Education will be far less dependent on physical infrastructure and more online platforms will start to emerge. Distant education will become the new norm with student gatherings becoming more infrequent. Workplace will see a shift as well with better implementation of e governance and e services. Social gatherings will be less frequent even after social distancing norms gets lifted. Economy will regain itself from its ashes but the economic activities will undergo a dramatic change with decline in urbanisation and public transport . Office space and physical meetings will all be less attractive and will rely upon IT infrastructure. The positive resultant of this pandemic, the environment, bounced back faster than we thought it could. And it would be downright irresponsible to let that knowledge take a backseat once this pandemic ends.This article has been contributed by Dr. Avneet Garg (MBBS,MD,DNB,DM, AIIMS-New Delhi) working as Pulmonologist and Intensivist in Adesh Institute of Medical Sciences and Research, Bathinda.