The Sunday Mail
Emmanual Kafe
EVERY time he leaves home for work, he leaves his family on tenterhooks.
If fighting the coronavirus is regarded as war, then he is definitely the foremost field commander.
However, this is not an ordinary fight as the stealthy enemy is not only invisible, but also uses human beings as Trojan horses.
Already, Dr Soman Mudariki — the head of ambulance services (Harare City Council) and member of a community testing team on Covid-19 — has tested four of the nine confirmed cases of the virus.
“My son and my daughter are not at ease, they keep asking questions and want to understand how dangerous coronavirus really is — and one of them will always be writing poems about coronavirus dedicating them to every healthcare worker working to contain the virus,” he said.
His current mission is not easy but someone has to do it, he said.
His family, however, is always at the back of his mind.
“I make sure my family is safe and, therefore, do whatever is necessary to protect them. I know being at the frontline has repercussions on our future and goals as a family, especially our children,” he told The Sunday Mail Society in an interview last week.
But Covid-19 is a ruthless enemy like no other, and frontline health workers have not been spared.
In Italy, which has been on the receiving end of the pandemic’s wrath over the past month, the virus claimed the lives of more than 40 health workers, most of whom did not have adequate personal protective equipment (PPE).
And for Dr Mudariki, he does not take any chances, at least he tries not to take any chances, by making sure that he does not have a chink in his armour.
“When preparing for the day, we are not sure who we are going to meet and the most important thing is to make sure our team is safe before anything else.
“Our typical day starts with briefs and debriefs of the previous day, discussing gaps and strengths to the frontline workers,” he said.
“It is a hot zone that we are working in and it requires a meticulous process, from donning, doffing to testing patients. The process needs to be thorough to make sure you do not carry the virus to other patients or workmates. While donning is simple, it is doffing that requires one to
follow the proper process lest you carry the virus home.”
Wilkins Hospital in Harare — one of the biggest infectious diseases control centres — has tested hundreds of suspected coronavirus cases, and Dr Mudariki has tested four of the nine that had been confirmed by Friday.
He has managed to keep his head because of the incredible support he gets from his wife, Debra, and their two children. “She is always worried about the safety of the family and she is always quick to remind me to take my time, to be careful and not to be exposed to the deadly virus.”
Worryingly, Dr Mudariki has not been tested yet for the deadly disease, but he says they are already beginning testing health officials that come into contact with infected patients.
Healthcare workers, he advised, should not get into contact with Covid-19 patients without adequate protection.
According to the doctor, “advice from World Health Organisation is clear: wash your hands well and often, self-isolate if you feel unwell, maintain social distance by avoiding crowded and public spaces and, if your symptoms worsen, contact medical services. Only by following this advice rigorously can we hope to stem the tide of new infections,” he said before asking to be excused to attend to another emergency.
While the rest of us are on lockdown and have an option to further self-isolate, this is a luxury that currently does not exist for health practitioners
