Girl pining for her nurse mother moves people, Karna CM

Bengaluru — Visuals of a little girl longing to meet her mother working as a nurse and has not returned home for a fortnight being on COVID-19 duty in Karnataka went viral with Chief Minister B S Yediyurappa calling the paramedic and appreciating her dedication on Wednesday.

Sugandha attached to the COVID-19 ward of the Belagavi Institute of Medical Sciences in north Karnataka had been working for the last 15 days without going home or seeing her daughter, aged about three years.

Missing her mother, the girl seated on a two-wheeler with her father was seen waving and crying as the nurse stood at a distance away from the entrance of the hospital. The mother too was seen turning emotional in the video that went viral on social media.

While people were touched by the nurse's dedication and the pangs of separation between the mother and child, it prompted Yediyurappa to speak to Sugandha over phone and comfort her.

You are struggling and working very hard without even seeing your children. I saw it on TV. Kindly cooperate. You will have better opportunities in the future. Ill look out for you. God bless you, and I hope your hard work does you well, Yediyurappa can be heard telling Sunanda over the phone call, a recording of which was released to media here.

Later in a letter addressed to the nurse, the Chief Minister, recalled the selfless service of doctors, nurses, AHSA (health) workers, police, civic workers, government employees working like her to stop the spread of COVID-19.

Assuring to look into concerns of healthcare workers raised by her during the telephone conversation, Yediyurappa in the letter said, resolving them was government's priority, and he will personally look into them once COVID-19 situation comes under control, the release said.