When people talk about ‘Frontline workers’, they mainly talk about doctors, policemen and other people who work in hospitals and government associated departments. We usually leave out the departments staffed by allied health professionals such as therapists of all kinds, technicians and other staff who are the backbone of a health facility as they perform tasks not only with patients, in the wards but also in investigation areas, therapy rooms and all over the hospital and still have to face inferiority issues and discrimination. 

The allied health professionals often form the larger backbone as they are sometimes assigned to the emergency rooms or the critical care areas.  They are at risk as much as the doctors, nurses and the patients as they are the people who engage in critical roles during therapy, rehabilitation, chronic care, ward-related care, investigation areas, waiting-areas and many other ‘smaller’ places in the hospitals. 

Here is how they have to struggle as the COVID times challenges their mental well-being. 

Sheetal, one of the front desk manager in a hospital said, “As a front desk person, I had to wrestle a mask and protective equipment from our management team. We weren’t provided with the prescribed masks and gloves and other PPE suits as the doctors. Our hospital followed the traditional hierarchical system that saved the best of gear, protective or otherwise, for the professionals and left us, the ancillary staff, to manage our job with the remains of the gear. 

Though these discriminations have existed for long, the COVID pandemic has just brought them out in the open. I was asked to make do with just face-masks and that too I had to pay for from my own pocket. It was so humiliating as we had patients at the desk and the officials denied giving us masks if we didn't pay them first. Isn't it funny? I've been working without an increment or incentives for extremely long hours, and these people can't even give me a mask. 

Is this the way to treat someone who has been working day and night all through the tough times? And still, no one takes a stand for us, after all, what can we do, this is how the hierarchy works, right?”

All these workers are paid much less even though their work is as hard as most of their colleagues. They too work for longer hours, miss their meals and perform their duties quietly in the background. 

Sheetal expressed her safety concerns by further saying, “As a person changing roles from reception to the waiting and ward areas, I get additionally stressed when people report to the hospital without telling us about their exact illness. They create so much mental and emotional pressure and give rise to thoughts like, what if they transfer the infection to me? Why aren't they telling me, do they plan to do something against the system? And so many questions pop up in my mind out of fear and anxiety.

If we question them about whether they recently came in contact with a person who tested positive for COVID-19, some visitors get violent and abusive saying that we are accusing them of spreading the virus. What if someday, someone loses their mind and attacks me? 

It is quite risky, and to face all this without ever being acknowledged is something that pulls my motivation down, every single day. Instead, I've started to feel even more insecure and mentally disturbed with the growing pressure and suppression that happens with us on different levels. In understand that doctors and nurses are the ones who have to bear the brunt of all this, but that does  not mean my life is any less valuable. Infact doctors stay in sanitized area, whereas, at the registration desk I have to face so many people at one time..people resting their hands on the table, handling my pen and other things, coughing, sneezing, giving me cash...all precursors to fomite spread of the infection. Yet, we are told to do with a mask and to spray the table and things with sanitizer and that’s it. 

My life is not of any lesser value even though I may not be an educated doctor or a nurse, but my life matters..I hope someone realises it before it is too late.”