It was on March 24, a Tuesday, when I had to deal with three coronavirus-positive patients for the first time. They were admitted in the high-dependency unit (HDU) designated for coronavirus patients at the Aziz Bhatti Shaheed Teaching Hospital in Gujrat.

My colleagues and I were prepared to handle the patients although we had not been provided complete safety gear and personal protection equipment (PPEs) and the protection protocols did not conform to the World Health Organisation (WHO) guidelines.

In the first week, my duty was for 24 hours in the coronavirus intensive care unit (ICU). In the second week, it was for six hours a day. Thankfully, most of the patients at our hospital were stable.

Our biggest challenge is the lack of PPEs. It is clearly not easy working without proper protection. We fear for our own safety as well as for our families’. In the absence of proper kits and safety gear, we remain at a high risk of being exposed to Covid-19. This has had a serious impact on our mental and psychological wellbeing: we live in constant fear.

There is also the fear of transmitting the infection to others as an asymptomatic carrier of Covid-19. When you think of this, it puts you under immense stress, sometimes leading to depression.

We try to keep the motivation level high by reminding one another of our oath to perform our medical duties to the best of our capabilities, especially when we are needed the most.

For most of us, the only thing which keeps us going in these difficult times is our faith in Allah. We hope that that one day the testing times will be over. Till then, we have to continue to battle on the medical front in this war against Covid-19.

The writer is house officer at the coronavirus intensive care unit at the Aziz Bhatti Shaheed Teaching Hospital, Gujrat