The Ordeal of Being Corona Warriors (An Approach to Medical And Essential Service Providers)

The Psychosocial Impact of COVID-19 Pandemic on Medical and Essential Service Providers is a unique collaborative endeavour undertaken across India with active engagement of a team of experts. The writers take this opportunity to acknowledge the assistance and contributions of the individuals who made this project possible. We wish to express our sincere gratitude to Prof. Govind Prasad Sharma, Chairman, National Book Trust, India and Shri Yuvraj Malik, Director, National Book Trust, India for providing us an opportunity to be a part of and make significant contribution in this wonderful initiative. We sincerely thank Shri Kumar Vikram, Senior Editor and Project Head, Research & Innovation, National Book Trust, India for his constant guidance, major insights and immense resources to strengthen the present study. We are also thankful to the Art, Editorial, Production, PR, IT, Sales and other teams of National Book Trust, India, for providing all support to the project.

oday the world is witnessing an unprecedented situation regarding the COVID-19 pandemic. Citizens across the world are united in this hour for battling a common enemy, which is invisible yet potent, and is threatening the physical and mental health of all over the world. It is at such times, novel efforts are being made by all sectors, be it government agencies, healthcare professionals, civil administration and the like. In this vein, the National Book Trust, India, took upon itself a noble initiative to assess the psychosocial impact of the pandemic on various segments of the society. The aim was to not only understand the ways in which the pandemic has altered different facets of the lives of people but also to provide authentic information and guidelines on 'How to Cope' with the psychosocial challenges. For this purpose, a team of experts focused on different groups within the population to understand their unique concerns and suggest guidelines accordingly. This study is dedicated to the Medical and Essential Service Providers. The study aims to provide authentic information on COVID-19, its spread, precautions, associated myths and facts in the first section. The subsequent sections provide insights drawn from the study conducted by the researchers to understand the impact of the pandemic on this subset of population followed by the guidelines. The guidelines are simple steps that have theoretical and psychological rationale. The unique restrictions during Lockdown period, quarantine and isolation have also been factored in, hence the guidelines have been designed keeping this in view. The book is written in an easily comprehensible language and is made colourful and attractive with suitable illustrations for the benefit of the readers. Through this study, we aim to contribute in the knowledge pool seganding the pandemic, especially the psychosocial impact in Indian context. Hence, the responses and data from the survey will make it more relatable and relevant for the readers of this subset of population. We hope, this endeavour of ours will provide knowledge and assistance to the readers in coping with the pandemic.

**Contents and Sample Pages**