Actor joins war against COVID-19, volunteers as nurse in Mumbai

Stories of people going the beyond call of duty to help others amid the coronavirus pandemic have taken social media by storm. One such story is that of actor Shikha Malhorta who is volunteering as a nurse in a hospital in Mumbai.

The actor, who featured in Shah Rukh Khan-starrer Fan, chose to take up the job of nursing COVID-19 patients and is serving at Balasaheb Thackeray Trauma Centre in Mumbai’s Jogeshwari.

“I decided to help COVID-19 patients as I have the tool to help them,” said Shikha, who has a degree in nursing from Delhi’s Vardhaman Mahavir Medical College and Safdarjung Hospital.

The actor took to Instagram to announce that she is officially on-duty as a nurse from now on.

“Always there to serve the country as a #Nurse as a #entertainer, wherever, however I can. Need your blessings. Please be at home, be safe and support the government,” she wrote.

The actor also urged all medical graduates to join the fight against COVID-19.

On Mann Ki Baat, Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Monday (March 30) lauded the “courage and dedication” of nurses who are fighting the pandemic war.

“I salute every nurse today. You all work with incomparable dedication. This is a coincidence that the year 2020 is being observed as the International Year of Nurses and Midwives by the whole world,” the prime minister said.

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He also announced a health insurance programme of ₹50 lakh for more than 20 lakh health workers “so that you can lead the nation in this fight with more confidence”.

“The country is worried about health workers equally as much as they are concerned about patients,” PM Modi said.

According to the health ministry, as of Monday morning, the total number of confirmed cases of coronavirus in India were 1,071 and the death toll touched 29.