Theme | Sub-theme | Quotes | |
Awareness and training | Knowledge about COVID-19 | It is a droplet infection and can spread through the air | |
Training | On the first day, they explained to us what to do and how to conduct the COVID survey | ||
Exposure and duration | Exposure | If there is a positive case, special attention is given to that house. We enter, spray, bleach, and put a tick mark on the door | |
Duration | Normally for doing an Antenatal care survey we used to start by 9:00 am but for COVID duty we started by 7:00 am | ||
Safety measures | Personal protective equipment | Within few minutes of wearing disposable masks, I feel a pungent smell. It is difficult to even drink water | |
Extra-precautions | When we went to survey a high-risk area, we maintained more social distance | ||
Occupational burnout | Overburdened | Our primary job is to register ten pregnant women in a month, we are not able to do that. All the time we are on COVID duty, we have no time to do our regular work | |
Shortage of workers | The burden was huge due to lack of manpower, but they co-operated and dedicated themselves completely | ||
Social stigma | Rejection | Some people even shut their doors, saying that we are spreading it | |
Psychological violence | Emotional trauma | The public is asking us whether we get paid separately for collecting samples. I have been in this service for 32 years and have been very honest without taking any bribes, but when they say this, I feel demotivated and sad | |
Verbal abuse | We work all day and get told off by people, it is bad. We control our emotions as this is part of our job | ||
Facilitating factors | Support from higher-ups | I got support from my supervisors in the workplace, from my parents at home | |
Motivation | When I get up in the morning and wear my uniform, I forget about all my problems. I do not care about anything and do my work quickly | ||
Protection for women staff | I am always accompanied by a senior Urban Health Nurse. This allocation was followed for all the women on COVID field duties. |