Life of doctor parents during COVID-19 pandemic.

Abstract

To the Editor, Much of our life has been changed during this ongoing COVID-19 pandemic along with the imposed nationwide long lockdown to combat it. For doctor parents like us who are staying as small nuclear family away from home, the situation has been much tougher. While the lockdown period has been regarded as a period for spending quality time with family members for most, the healthcare professionals (HCPS) are unlucky in that aspect, given the nature of job profile. Both parents being doctor only add to that misadventure. While being HCP, we propagate the slogan of “We stayed at work for you, please you stay at home for us,” unfortunately this comes with a huge price. Being parents to a toddler, we here want to share some of our own experiences during this difficult time: After reaching home from hospital, first we have to follow the time-consuming standard operating procedure to sanitize yourself including items like keys, shoes, mobile phone, laptop bag, lunch box, taking head bath, salt water/chlorhexidine gargling, brushing teeth, putting clothes in washing machine, etc., before you can give your child that routine hug which she deserves after a long day wait. It's painful but never the less is the need of the hour. Staying as nuclear family is a double edged sword these days. While you thank god for not risking life of elderly parents (as is the case in joint family) during this pandemic, your kid simultaneously gets deprived of their love, affection, and care. Thanks to the lockdown, your domestic help is cut off. That means you have to accomplish all these daily chores by your own and this is difficult unless you advance your daily time clock by 2 h earlier than usual days. To make the situation worse, home food delivery services, cook services remain closed meaning you have to cook (no matter how much you have mastered your cooking skill) your healthy meal by yourself in available limited home hours. The major challenge in this ongoing situation is taking care of a toddler at home with closure of day care/nursery services in your city. Doctor parents are left with only option: go to hospital one by one or alternatively. Being HCP is a major social misadventure these days as the society start looking suspiciously at you every time you return from your hospital with the fear that you might infect them with corona. Moreover, you continue to remain in mental stress everyday not because of the fear of corona but because of the social stigma associated with getting affected with corona. Being pediatricians, we often advise parents to involve their kids in physical activities and to reduce screen time. However, during these days to maintain social distance, outdoor activities are restricted as parks, sport complexes, activity zones are a strict no-no these days and our kids invariability land up in increased screen time due to binge watching of mobile and television. Never the less, there is light at the end of tunnel, and we are hopeful that the current situation is likely to improve with time by virtue of advancement in science/scientific development such as invention of vaccine/drugs against COVID-19 or because of natural course of disease (acquisition of herd immunity) or change (due to upcoming scratchy summer in most parts of India). Like any other parents we are anxious but simultaneously ready to brace the situation bravely in whatever way it unfolds in future by adoption. Financial support and sponsorship Nil. Conflicts of interest There are no conflicts of interest.