After living in his car for weeks outside his home, Dr. Sachin Nayak moved into a hotel in Bhopal on Tuesday after his hospital made the arrangements.
The doctor was worried that his wife and three-year-old daughter could contract COVID-19 from him.
As cases spiralled in Bhopal, he slept in the car across the road and spoke on the phone with his family. He read, too, if time permitted, or took a stroll on the road.
Also read: Coronavirus | Navy Chief says it’s going to be a long battle
After returning from duty at the government-run J.P. Hospital each day, he would plonk himself on a mattress spread over the reclined back seat. Soaps, laptops, chargers, clothes, tooth brush, towel were all inside the car.
‘No choice’
“It was a compulsion... I didn’t have a choice,” Dr. Nayak from the Anaesthesia Department at the hospital told The Hindu .
The hospital first tended to incoming patients, which overwhelmed its resources, and then made arrangements for doctors as other city-based hospitals eased its initial load. After performing duty in isolation wards for a few days, doctors are required to quarantine themselves to rule out the possibility of infecting patients and family members.
Also read: MP govt makes wearing masks mandatory while stepping out
“Of course, you can’t go back home after working in such a hazardous environment. Therefore it’s better to be away,” chuckles Dr. Nayak.
The doctor even earned the praise of Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan, who said he saluted such “warriors”. He wrote on Twitter: “I and the whole of Madhya Pradesh greet warriors like you who are fighting the war against corona. If we all continue with such resolve, we will be able to win this great war more quickly. Sachin ji, salute your spirit.”
