Our Frontline Worker of the Week is… Nurse Aaisha Akbar-Mohamed

Feb 21, 2021 News

“For me the most rewarding thing as a nurse is having a connection with my patients; letting them feel the love and letting them know that someone is there to help them.”

By Romario Blair

Dedicated to the profession.

Since confirmation of the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) in Guyana, health workers in Region Two (Pomeroon/Supenaam) have been doing an exceptional job at containing its spread. Region Two has accounted for just over 230 of the 8,000 plus cases recorded nationally.
Nurse Aaisha Akbar-Mohamed is among the outstanding frontline workers in the Cinderella County, commonly known as the Essequibo Coast, who have been battling COVID-19. The 23-year-old Nurse Akbar-Mohamed is currently attached to the Quarantine Department at the Suddie Public Hospital and has, in fact, spent half of her fledgling career battling the pandemic.
She told Kaieteur News, during a recent interview, that she graduated from the Georgetown School of Nursing in 2019; just one year prior to the pandemic. She explained that prior to COVID-19; she was attached to the Male Medical Ward and Surgical Block, where she was tasked with tending to patients awaiting surgery.
Reflecting on the start of her career, Nurse Akbar-Mohamed said, “When I graduated from the Georgetown School of Nursing, I worked one year at the Georgetown Public Hospital, there I worked in the Male Ward assisting patients who had urinary problems and fracture injures.”
On February 3, 2020, one month before Guyana recorded its first COVID-19 case, Nurse Akbar-Mohamed was transferred to the Suddie Public Hospital on the Essequibo Coast.

Ready to slay some COVID-19 virus.

Sharing a moment with her colleagues.

According to the young nurse, a month after being transferred, she was approached by her Matron who asked if she would be willing to volunteer in the COVID-19 Quarantine Department.
Although she reacted with apprehension initially, she eventually accepted the challenge wholeheartedly. “I was a bit scared because like most, if not all, of my colleagues, I hardly knew anything about the coronavirus, apart from how dangerous it really is. But despite that, I said to myself, God is in charge and I agreed to volunteer.”
At that time, Nurse Akbar-Mohamed was living with her parents, Mohamed Asif Akbar and Aasiya Akbar, who she said were skeptical upon learning of her decision to work in the Quarantine Department.

With her loving husband, Omar Mohamed.

She chuckled as she recalled, “My parents were really scared; they asked me why I want to work in such an infectious area. But I had to explain to them and try to get them to empathize with people. I said, ‘Mom and dad, I have to do it, if it were you in my patient’s position, would you like to go there and there is no one there to assist you?’”
Nurse Akbar-Mohamed said that she felt quite fortunate that both of her parents eventually “came around.”
A dream hatched from a personal experience
Most of us will no doubt have our own reasons and experiences which guided and moulded our career choice. For Nurse Akbar-Mohamed, her desire to become a nurse was first set alight when she was just 13 years old. She explained, “I wanted to become a nurse because when I was in form two I was really sick, and I had to undergo a surgery and the way the nurses and doctors treated me, it was way beyond what I expected. That motivated me to give back to society and to my community at large just as those doctors and nurses did for me.”
Nurse Akbar-Mohamed, a native Essequibian, attended the C.V. Nunes Primary School in Anna Regina before moving on to the Anna Regina Secondary School to complete her secondary education. Armed with eight CSEC passes in 2015, she enrolled at the Georgetown School of Nursing in her quest to bring her dream alive. She completed her training in 2018.But although it wasn’t a walk in the park, the needed support was always forthcoming, Nurse Akbar-Mohamed revealed. According to her, “My challenge was the main fact of being far away from my parents, and I had to stay in the hostel throughout my years. But I was supported by my parents and some of my relatives who gave me all of my textbooks which contributed to my success.”
In 2018, the same year she completed her nursing studies, Nurse Akbar-Mohamed accepted the marriage invitation of her sweetheart, Omar Mohamed. The two tied the blissful wedding knot and moved to Reliance on the Essequibo Coast.
A typical day on the frontline
Sharing details of frontline duties, Nurse Akbar-Mohamed explained that from time to time, the atmosphere there can be tense and saddening. This occurs especially when she witnesses families being torn apart by the pandemic. “Many of our patients would get very emotional and cry because they have to be away from their families in just an isolated area. Sometimes some of them will even be saying stuff like ‘I don’t have COVID-19’. And as a nurse we don’t just have to administer medication for physical health, but we also have to treat our patient’s mental wellbeing. So at times we have to sit down and talk with them and encourage them so they can recover faster.”
The hospital’s quarantine area holds patients who are suspected to have the disease. Nurse Akbar-Mohamed said that it is imperative to practice precautionary measure, since each suspected case could turn out to be a positive case. “I always maintain my precautionary measures, especially when taking off my PPEs. Even when I go home I will take my bath, use my Dettol soap and bathe from head to toe,” said Nurse Akbar-Mohamed.
Challenges on the frontline
Nurse Akbar-Mohamed went on to explain that there are quite a number of challenges on the frontline. These, she said, can range from dealing with the patients mental and physical health, to dealing with the patients’ family members.
“We have to encourage our patients and build their mental health. That can be a bit exhausting at times because we have to do this continuously, until the patients can return to a state of normalcy. Then we have to deal with some relatives who sometimes want to fight down the nurses saying ‘why you have our relatives, they don’t have no COVID’.”
Nurse Akbar-Mohamed pointed out, however, that team work plays an essential role in overcoming all challenges in the quarantine area.
The fight is not yet over
Just recently, Guyana received its first batch of COVID-19 vaccines and the vaccination process has commenced. Nurse Akbar-Mohamed was among the healthcare workers who have received an initial jab and she has been encouraging members of the public to take theirs when the time comes.
“There was just a little side effect after the shot. I had a slight fever and headache, but eventually the vaccine’s side effects wore off,” she said, even as she confidently asserted, “taking the vaccine is a plus because it helps to protect you, your family and friends. Though there may be side effects, it will only last for a short time. Once the body adapts to it, headache, fever and chills will all go away,” Nurse Akbar-Mohamed assured.
She also pointed out that persons should not view being vaccinated as an excuse to be negligent, pointing out that, “The vaccine is there for protection yes, but it still does not give you immunity against the virus, so you still have to use your necessary precautionary measures like wearing your masks and sanitizing.”
As she fully embraces her career, Nurse Akbar-Mohamed intimated, “for me the most rewarding thing as a nurse is having a connection with my patients; letting them feel the love and letting them know that someone is there to help them.”