Tamil Nadu doctor treats Ebola hit in Foya
Prior to joining MSF, she worked for many years in rural Trivandrum
Chennai: When many nations, including India, are worried about the spread of Ebola, a general physician from Madurai, Dr Kalyani Gomathinayagam, 46, volunteered to treat people infected by the deadly virus in Foya district of Liberia, the epicentre of the outbreak, putting her own life at risk.
“I felt pretty safe and confident when I was wearing my protective gear and taking care of patients in the high risk zone,” said Dr Kalyani, who was the only doctor from India to serve in Foya as part of the Médecins Sans Frontières (Doctors Without Borders) or MSF mission, which has set up a 40-bed facility to treat patients in Liberia.
MSF has been dealing with Ebola epidemics since 1991 and has tremendous experience in treating patients affected by it. Strict protocol is followed to minimise risk of exposure.
About her six-week experience caring for patients in the West African nation, she says it was like any other mission based on the organisation’s core principles of neutrality and impartiality.
“I volunteered for this project. I feel privileged to have worked on such a difficult task and hopefully there will be more volunteers from India if the need arises. There is a lot to be done yet and we try and do our best when we are there with patients,” she told the Deccan Chronicle.
Dr Kalyana, who returned to Delhi on October 20 after being quarantined for 21 days in Geneva, Switzerland, began her association with MSF in Haiti where she was posted as an emergency doctor post the earthquake and followed this up with stints in the Ivory Coast, Chad, the Democratic Republic of
Congo and Liberia. Prior to joining MSF, she worked for many years in rural Trivandrum.
Explaining that Ebola is a fragile virus, easily destroyed by soap, chlorine and sunlight, she says the present requirement is for more beds for the infected besides manpower to treat and bring down the transmission through a health campaign.