The following article, excerpted here, was first published by UCA News on August 13. This article was published in the September-October 2021 issue of NewsNotes. Read the whole article here: https://bit.ly/2XSMAgP
It is not unusual for Sister Ann Rose Nu Tawng from the Sisters of St. Francis Xavier congregation in Myanmar to risk her life.
“I have no fear of dying even if I may get infected with the Covid-19 virus,” the Catholic nun told UCA News in between nursing coronavirus patients at a church-run care center in Myanmar’s remote Kachin state.
In February, in an image that resonated around the world, Sister Nu Tawng was seen kneeling in front of police officers in Myitkyina, the capital city of Kachin state, trying to protect young protesters seeking refuge in the clinic she works at after the country was rocked by public unrest against the military coup. She repeated the brave act in March.
She has since shifted her focus to helping sick patients from pandemic-stricken villages that health workers cannot reach. Donning personal protective equipment (PPE), the nun is determined to give moral and medical support to victims.
From early morning until late evening, Sister Nu Tawng is preoccupied at the clinic where people with symptoms of Covid-19 rush from the nearby villages to get tested and treated.
Many rural people who have contracted the virus have no other option as state-run hospitals are turning them away due to a lack of health workers and beds.
“I can’t sit idle. I have seen the difficulties people are facing on the ground,” the nun said.
Since June, she has been regularly reaching out to Buddhist and Christian houses in nearby villages, and also health camps around Myitkyina, to help people with Covid-19 tests, oxygen support and blood pressure checks besides counseling them.
Her mobile phone keeps ringing throughout the day as people call for help. “I don’t feel tired despite being preoccupied with daily tasks. I feel this is my duty,” she said.
Photo courtesy of UCA News: https://bit.ly/2XSMAgP