Times of India
17 April 2010
By Vishakha Sharma

Working around HIV–infected patients isn’t easy, but nurses at Sassoon General Hospital are keeping up the good work
With the significant rise in the number of Human immunodeficiency virus or HIV–infected people in our country, the awareness about the infection among people has increased too. Even though nothing is hidden about this non–curable disease, our society still has many misconceptions about it. And these misconceptions sometimes become a hindrance for those working as caretakers for HIV patients in various hospitals.

Pune Mirror spoke to the nurses of Sassoon General Hospital working for the HIV patients, asking if they faced any problems from their families because of their work atmosphere.

Linita Gaikwad, one of the nurses working for the HIV patients in Sassoon said, “My family is really very supportive of my working with HIV patients. They not only accept my work, but also respect it at the same time. AIDS is not new in our country and almost everyone here knows everything about it. When I had told my husband what i wanted to do, he did not object even once.”

“Whatever fears and uncertainty was there, was only within me. Initially, when I had started working with these patients, there was a little hesitation in my mind, but now it is not there anymore. We give them injections and are around them almost for the whole day. No one is scared here,” she added.

Another nurse, Vasudha Mahajan, also working for HIV patients in Sassoon said, “My family members had some hesitation in the beginning about my working here, but after they read up on the infection and I explained my work to them fully, they changed their mind. They now support me whole–heartedly. As far as basic hygiene and care goes, we are always careful. We always wear aprons whenever we are around patients and always take a bath as soon as we get home.”

“It is our moral duty to help these patients which is why the moment we enter the hospital, we forget about everything else and concentrate on our jobs. Most of these patients experience various kinds of health problems. They undergo trauma, stigma and rejection by family members and friends. So, we have to take care of them and make every possible effort to keep their spirits up, and our families understand this quite well,” she added.