Our Frontline Worker of the Week is… Dr. Narash Torres

Aug 09, 2020 News

“While many young people and persons without underlying conditions may fully recover, we must not rule out long-term damage, including lung scarring, heart damage, and neurological and mental health effects. We should and must adhere to the precautionary measures outlined by WHO and the Ministry of Health. Studies have shown that by simply wearing a face mask can reduce the risk of transmission significantly.”

By Sharmain Grainger

Dr. Narash Torres.

As the world, with bated breath, awaits the availability of a vaccine that could help protect humanity from the novel coronavirus disease, COVID-19, health workers are valiantly continuing to be the heroes of nations.
Guided by the Hippocratic Oath, many doctors are among the champions on the frontlines in the health care system. They have essentially thrown ‘fear to the wind’ in their quest to save lives and help reduce the spread of the disease.
In Guyana, our native land, there have been reports of instances of limited resources such as personal protective equipment to fully safeguard some of our frontline workers, but the fight, many insist, must go on.
In the face of increasing cases, at times too alarming to conceive, they remain belligerent towards a contagious opponent. They deliberately suppress the thoughts that warn of possible risks to themselves.
And, indeed, fighting COVID-19 presents daunting risks as it has been doing even more than just claiming far too many lives. But death may not even be the worst outcome since researchers have been able to deduce that surviving the disease could mean a life of painful complications because of the amount of damage it can do to the anatomy.
But even this latter revelation has not thwarted the focus of health workers on the frontlines who use their skills as a worthy weapon in their quest

All in a day’s work.

to delay, as far as possible, the extinction of humanity.
However, our heroes on the frontlines have long recognized that they cannot do it alone. Everyone can be on the offence too simply by wearing face masks, practicing social distancing and embracing good hygienic practices.
STAGGERING BLOW
But sometimes even when every possible tactic is employed, the enemy is able to penetrate the camp with a staggering blow.
Taking the debilitating hit for the squad recently, and now on the sidelines recuperating, is Dr. Narash Torres.
Dr. Torres, employed at the Lethem Regional Hospital in Region Nine for the past four years, was just a week ago tested positive with COVID-19. Since the outbreak of the disease here, he has been a crucial member of his hospital’s Task Force dealing hands-on with some cases.
Days before his diagnosis, he knew sometime was very wrong. “Initially it was very difficult; I presented with the classic symptoms of COVID-19,” he recalled. He started experiencing a dry cough which was eventually complemented by a mild headache and nausea. He decided to get tested and before long was faced with the disheartening news.
But even though inflicted, Dr. Torres’ biggest concern is “I miss work, especially now that I’m needed to combat the situation in my Region.” There has been an increase in the number of COVID-19 cases in Region Nine in recent weeks.
Although he desperately wants to help, Dr. Torres has no choice but to recuperate in isolation. “It makes me appreciate life more, the time I spent in quarantine and now isolation…it gave me the opportunity to reflect on life and focus on personal wellbeing,” he shared recently.
He is currently on a mission to evict the virus from his system in hopes of reclaiming his place on the frontline in the shortest possible time.

In the company of his dear mother and sisters.

After being diagnosed, Dr. Torres was treated medically and ever since started a strict diet. “I’m having good results so far,” he eagerly intimated.
But he isn’t oblivious to the possible far-reaching impact of the disease on his system. “While many young people and individuals without underlying conditions may fully recover, we must not rule out long-term damage, including lung scarring, heart damage, and neurological and mental health effects. We should and must adhere to the precautionary measures outlined by WHO and the Ministry of Health. Studies have shown that by simply wearing a face mask can reduce the risk of transmission significantly,” he passionately underscored.
BATTLE READY
Ever since he volunteered to be a part of the Task Force in Region Nine, Dr. Torres knew it was risky business. But choosing this path he believed was logical since he is not yet a family man and had the adrenaline rush to dare confront the foe.
Not only was he tasked with overseeing screening and swabbing in the North Rupununi District, but he also worked on the isolation ward with symptomatic patients.
“For us, health care professionals, we see it as just another day on the job. We are faced with many other infectious diseases on a daily basis. Yes, COVID-19 is new and we were indeed very concerned since no protocols were in place but that didn’t stop me from taking up the challenge,” said Dr. Torres.

During a recent outreach with the GDF to sensitize residents of Surama Village

Ready to swab some patients.

But an added and very notable dimension of combating COVID-19, Dr. Torres noted, is the fact that “we are back to teaching basic hygiene methods which we all should’ve learnt at home and playschool.”
Considering the impact that the disease has had on the world, the General Practitioner emphasized the notion that “we all can make a difference by taking the necessary precautions.”
INSPIRED BY A DOCTOR
It isn’t at all surprising that he chose to delve into the medical field. After all, Dr. Torres recalled, he grew up seeing one of his own uncles practicing medicine. He was intrigued and decided from a young age he wanted to be just like him. But this was after he got over the idea of becoming a pilot. Because of his uncle, he said, “I wanted to help sick people…my uncle inspired me by sharing his experiences.”
Born on November 5, 1991 as the eldest of six, Dr. Torres spoke of being raised at Wowetta Village, an indigenous community in the Upper Takutu-Upper Essequibo Region of Guyana.
His mother Judith Moses, a headmistress of Wowetta Primary School, ensured that he and his siblings gained an early appreciation for the importance of education.
Dr. Torres recalled attending the Wowetta Nursery School and then the Wowetta Primary before moving on to the Annai and then St. Ignatius Secondary schools to complete his secondary education.

Spending some time with his dog, Neo.

His school days were laced with many exciting adventures yielded from nature hikes, swimming in creeks, and of course he participated in quite a few competitive football matches. Growing up, he hadn’t amenities such as television and internet and so he opted to read, often gleaning wisdom from encyclopedias as he caressed the thought of becoming a doctor.
At the Latin American School of Medicine in Havana, Cuba he was eventually trained and today regards his profession as especially noble. “It’s one we all do for the love of it, with the single aim of helping sick people during long shifts day or night,” said Dr. Torres of being a doctor.
As a General Practitioner, he gravitates more to primary health care and the promotion and prevention of chronic diseases, which are in fact crucial assets in the fight against COVID-19.
GOOD SUPPORT
He credits the person he has become, a passionate medical professional, to the guidance he received over the years. His mother’s support, he noted, is forever unwavering, and his stepfather, Kelvin Moses, a primary school teacher, also had a hand in helping to raise him right.
Currently living on his own in the Township of Lethem, Dr. Torres sometimes reflects on his journey to becoming doctor. Times, he noted though, have changed a great deal since the pandemic, especially as it relates to how he interacts with family members. “Before the pandemic it (interacting with family) had never been a problem. It has changed drastically and not only for me but all health care professionals,” he observed. He worries about the immense pressure those on the frontlines are under and hopes that more can be done to help them remain safe as they valiantly combat COVID-19.
But not even a threat such as COVID-19 will succeed in taking the joy out of life for Dr. Torres. Moreover, he intends, with every fibre of his being, to do his part to help return humanity to an existence where enjoyable activities such as travelling and spending quality time with family can resume.