Tygerberg Hospital Hero Amongst Us: Rehana Maseti

This week’s nominated coronavirus hero amongst us at Tygerberg Hospital, Rehana Maseti, is proud to be a caregiver to critically ill patients, helping them to manage their physical needs, and to follow their progress, and keeping their best interest at heart. The hero amongst us campaign seeks to highlight an official’s achievements, abilities or personal qualities during the COVID-19 pandemic. In the eyes of hospital staff, he or she can also be regarded as a role model or ideal.

As a Registered Nurse in the Surgical Intensive Care Unit (ICU), Rehana’s job extends beyond the administration of medication, because she is responsible for the holistic care of patients and to maintain patients’ dignity throughout treatment and care. Providing support and comfort and to see patient’s condition improving gives her satisfaction, she says, who lives in Parow East.

“I work in a surgical ICU where we admit and discharge post-operative critical care patients, and also receive patients from trauma and other surrounding hospitals that needs critical care, like life support. I am responsible for closely observing patients, to provide accurate assessments and to monitor patients progress. My work is also to monitor vital signs, ensuring proper function of life support equipment and to attend to patient overall needs like medication intake, feeding and bathing. I work with a multi-disciplinary team to provide quality care and provide guidance to fellow nursing assistants. As an ICU nurse, I also assist doctors in invasive procedures, resuscitate unstable patients, help them with physical assessment and administer treatment. Providing support to patients family and by answering questions about patients progress is part of my job,” says Rehana, who boasts a decade’s experience in the public health service.

The COVID-19 pandemic has been stressful and demanding on many health workers such as Rehana, who have had to adapt in providing patient-centered care. “COVID-19, when it started caused a lot of stress and uncertainty in the unit. Every patient had to be treated like person under investigation. I had to adapt to wearing PPE [personal protective clothing] and when working with a COVID-19 patient had to minimise contact which is difficult in an ICU setting where one-to-one nursing care must be rendered. Wearing a N95 mask and visor makes it difficult to communicate and sometimes to comfort the patient. I also had to learn how to minimise exposure and transmission while working in clinical setting.”

Rehana is appreciative of the hospital management’s support during this difficult and uncertain time. “During the start of COVID-19, multiple videos were shown to us by management, to inform us about COVID-19, the correct PPE and how to minimise spreading of the disease in the clinical settings. By providing us with the necessary PPE, like cloth masks and visors, and psychological help for those struggling to adapt had made it easier for us to come to work. Self-daily assessments and testing for those with symptoms brings comfort. By providing contract staff to assist during staff shortages has given us the necessary help to continue nursing care,” she adds.

Her message of support to everyone is to remember that: “Life is precious, [and] we should appreciate one another, because we don't know what tomorrow might bring. We need to stay positive; this too shall pass. COVID-19 has shown that we can all work together as a team and give best care to our patients. Don't stigmatise, COVID-19 [knows] no boundaries.”