Learnet Skills Alumni working on the frontline and supporting the fight against this pandemic
PRASANNA KUMAR
Employer : AIIMS Hospital, Mangalgiri
Designation : Nursing Assistant
Package : 18,000 per month
Prasanna Kumar hails from a small village in Vijaywada. He joined the skill training programme for a General Duty Assistant (GDA). Prior to joining the training programme, he was unsuccessful in clearing his B.com entrance exams, he took up odd jobs to eke out a living. Sometimes as a storekeeper, a ward boy, with little income. After seven years he found the right path for himself when he enrolled for the training course. He is currently working in one of the prestigious hospitals of the country with a remuneration that helps him cover not only his own expenses, but the expenses of his family members as well.
As a frontline health worker, he is aware of his responsibility and has not visited his home ever since the first lockdown was announced. The skill training has enabled him to fulfil his dream. He says, “Without Learnet Skills, I could not have done the work I am currently doing.” Being able to stand on his own feet was a dream come true for Prasanna, who is now determined to utilize this chance as an opportunity to grow in his profession.
MAYURESH SHANKAR BAMANE
Employer : Lilavati Hospital & Research Centre
Designation : Front Office Executive
Package : 14,000 per month
I have not gone home for more than two months now,” on being asked the reason, he says, “My society has barred me from entering the neighbourhood, but I don’t really have a problem with that, I won’t otherwise stay at my home because there is a young child in the house and she is the daughter of my elder sister.
We often hear stories like this in the news and his case is no different. He feels it’s a sense of responsibility and I am doing exactly what I am meant to be doing. There are many of us who live in hospitals and can’t go their homes. In the hospital, all of us, have developed a sense of unity which I have rarely seen. His duty is to serve for 6 hours straight where it is difficult for them to go to the bathroom or even be able to eat, because of the PPE kits. He has been working with Lilavati hospital for more than a year now. He trained for the front office executive in early January 2019 under the Swades foundation in association with Learnet Skills Limited.
BIRENDER KUMAR
Employer : Safdarjung Hospital, Delhi
Designation : General Duty Assistant (GDA)
Package : 17,500 per month
I still remember the first day when I was assigned duty at the isolation ward, I was scared not for myself but more for my family members. All the anxiety waned when I saw the surge of patients and how COVID-19 was affecting people the world over. I was assigned for a much larger purpose, much more than what my basic duty demanded, I knew I had to be at the hospital,” says Birender.
He further says, “Admitting patients, allocating beds, maintaining sanitation of patients and the ward was the most crucial task and is also the hardest part. A slight negligence on our part can cost a great deal. There have been times when I have had to do double shift but that was never a point of concern. All of it is worth it at the end, when patients recover and most of them get tested negative – the families of these patients thank us with folded hands and in these situations, you realise it’s our duty to serve first.”
Birender, who comes from a humble background, after completing his 12th board exams, was looking for an affordable option in skilling and making himself job ready. He trained as a General Duty Assistant (GDA) from Learnet Skills Limited in 2018. He adds, “I would like to especially extend my thanks to the Prime Minister of our country for coming up with the Skill India initiative that helped people who could not pursue higher education. Secondly, my trainers at Learnet Skills who were extremely patient in teaching us the core aspects of the profession. If it hadn’t been for the training, I wouldn’t have been here providing my service in these crucial times.
SAURABH NANDKUMAR KADAM
Employer : Deenanath Mangeshkar Hospital &
Research Centre
Designation : Patient Care
Package : 13,000 per month
With 8 hours of non-stop duty every day, Saurabh sounded exhausted on the phone. He says, “I am scared, but I am hopeful all of this will soon come to an end.”
He hasn’t visited his home for the past four months. He arrives at the emergency ward around 8:30 a.m. to assist the nurses handling Covid affected patients where they handle around 50 to 100 cases in a day. Saurabh is undoubtedly scared, yet he continues to serve patients from the forefront. . “There is so much despair. I have to continue to fight my anxiety every day so that I can report to duty.” Saurabh is an alumnus of Swades foundation – Learnet Institute of Skills of Raigad.