All
What a wonderful role model!
Harish
On 09/11/2020 19:24, Kanchan Pamnani wrote:
Mumbai mirror 8th November 2020
Blind since birth, BMC workers put public service before self
Anita and Dharti, attached to Sewri TB Hospital, have not let disability
come in the way of their work during the pandemic
LATA [email protected] <mailto:[email protected]>
TWEETS @MUMBAIMIRROR <https://twitter.com/MumbaiMirror>
Two visually challenged women working in Sewri TB Hospital's Records Section
have set the standard for public service by not missing a single day of work
during the pandemic. During the initial phase of Covid-19, when governments
and medical experts were grappling with the nature of the pathogen and
employees were reluctant to come to work, afraid of contracting the disease,
Anita Shingade, 35, and Dharti Todase, 24, both blind since birth, promised
to report for duty come what may.
And they kept their promise, despite having to travel more than 70
kilometres from Badlapur every day, despite the lack of public transport,
and despite, as ever, having to rely solely on tactile information to
navigate their way.
Hospital authorities are now citing their brave example to other employees
who refused to work during the pandemic because of various concerns - some
of them, of course, legitimate.
What makes Anita and Dharti's commitment to public service so inspiring is
that they have a higher chance of contracting Covid-19 because the nature of
their handicap forces them to navigate the world by touch, and they depend
on strangers to guide them on an everyday basis.
Long commutes
When the lockdown was announced on March 24, transport services ground to a
halt. "We were taking a government bus to travel all the way from Badlapur
to Sewri Hospital, which was quite hectic. It took more than two hours to
get to the hospital, and then another two hours in the evening to get back
home," Anita told Mumbai Mirror.
She said they had to stand in queue for a long time and the buses were
crowded. "Getting to the hospital was not easy," said Anita, a mother of two
children, aged 15 and 11. "We both had to leave home at around 5 am, in
order to reach work by 8 am."
Things became easier - but not by much - when essential train services
started on June 15. "It was only when local services started that things got
better," Dharti said.
Dharti has a three-year-old son. Her husband, who is also blind, was
initially not happy with her decision to go to work. But Dharti told him
that she worked in a hospital that specialised in an infectious disease -
tuberculosis - anyway, and could take care of herself. "I am not worried
about TB; why should I be worried about Covid?" she said. "The hospital has
provided us masks, gloves, sanitisers. We take every care."
"My husband was worried because we have a small child. What if I carried the
infection home and transmitted it to my child? But I convinced him that
while working at the hospital, I had learned to take proper precautions."
Anita and Dharti joined the BMC as Class IV employees in 2017 and 2018,
respectively. Dharti also completed her TY BSc this year.
"The pandemic has taught us that together we can make sure no one is left
behind. Anita and I have helped each other throughout our journey," Dharti
said.
"What is strange is that earlier people used to help us while crossing the
road or boarding the train or bus. Now no one does that, fearing infection,"
she added. "What if we get infection from them if they are not wearing a
mask? We can't see them."
Anita said people with disabilities - especially the visually impaired -
have suffered disproportionately during the pandemic. "But the hospital
staff and seniors were really helpful towards us."
Dr Lalit Anande, medical superintendent of the hospital, praised Anita and
Dharti's commitment. "They never asked for exemption from work citing their
disability. I used to tell them to take leave if they wanted, but both of
them regularly attended work. They are an inspiration to all of us."
Anita Shingade, 35 (left), and Dharti Todase, 24, travelled 70 kilometres to
work every day during the pandemic
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