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NEW YORK: As an emergency medicine physician in New York City, Dr. Kamini Doobay has always known that death is part of the territory when trying to care for the city鈥檚 sickest.
But it hasn鈥檛 always been like this 鈥� patients hit the hardest by the coronavirus, struggling to breathe and on ventilators, with no visitors allowed because of strict protocols to prevent spreading the virus.
鈥淪o often a patient will be on their deathbed, dying alone, and it鈥檚 been incredibly painful to see the suffering of family members who I call from the ICU, hearing the tears, crying with them on the phone,鈥� said Doobay, 31.
鈥淭oo many people are dying alone with absolutely no family around them,鈥� she said. 鈥淭his is one of the most horrific things.鈥�
A third-year resident, Doobay, who works at New York University Langone Medical Center and Bellevue Hospital, said being among the doctors and other health care workers trying desperately to deal with the wave of sick and dying patients coming into city hospitals is 鈥渦nlike anything
Kamini Doobay, an emergency medicine resident physician at NYU Medical Center and Bellevue Hospital, talks during an interview about her experiences treating COVID-19 patients on March 26, 2020. (AP Photo/John Minchillo)
I鈥檝e ever experienced, it鈥檚 very chaotic, it鈥檚 overwhelming.鈥�
鈥淚鈥檝e never felt so physically and emotionally burdened in my life, I鈥檝e never felt so deeply sad and distraught,鈥� the New York City native said.
While the coronavirus causes mild or moderate symptoms in most people, it can lead to more severe illnesses, including pneumonia and death for some, like those who are older or have underlying health issues.
The impact it鈥檚 had on the city鈥檚 hospitals also has health care providers like Doobay worried about their own exposure, and wanting officials in charge to do everything possible to get hospital workers the protective equipment they need to protect their own health.
鈥淲e did not go into this field thinking we鈥檙e going to be martyrs,鈥� she said. 鈥淭his is a serious crisis that we鈥檙e in and we deserve to be protected. We鈥檙e not in a battlefield. We鈥檙e not in a war zone.鈥�
And she worries about the kinds of choices all doctors could be faced with: Who should get what kind of help if the number of cases and hospitalizations continues to increase past the point where there is enough equipment, like ventilators, to meet the extreme patient need?
鈥淲ho does that ventilator belong to? These are questions that, you know, I think about when I go home at night and fortunately, haven鈥檛 had to make those decisions yet,鈥� she said. 鈥淏ut we鈥檙e getting there.鈥�
She hoped the general public would listen to the experts and do all they can to limit the virus鈥檚 spread through self-quarantining and similar measures.
鈥淚t鈥檚 really painful to see someone die. It鈥檚 really painful to not know what the future holds. And we鈥檙e really working hard to protect you,鈥� Doobay said. 鈥淪o I hope that we can all join in solidarity to protect each other.鈥�