Actor Shikha Malhotra volunteering at Mumbai hospital as nurse to help patients fight COVID-19

New Delhi: Actor Shikha Malhotra, who was seen in Shah Rukh Khan’s movie “Fan”, is volunteering at a Mumbai hospital as a nurse to help patients fight the COVID-19 disease, caused by a novel coronavirus. A novel virus is one that has never been seen infecting humans before. “I decided to help COVID-19 patients as I have the tool to help them,” said the actor who has a degree in nursing from Delhi’s Vardhaman Mahavir Medical College and Safdarjung Hospital. The number of people infected with COVID-19 rose to 979 with 61 fresh cases, the Health Ministry said on Monday morning. “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, (sic)” said Shikha Malhotra in a post on Instagram. The actor, in the Instagram post, asked people with medical degrees to join the fight against the highly contagious disease. She is also serving at Balasaheb Thackeray Trauma Centre in Mumbai’s Jogeshwari. Shikha Malhotra has also shared screen space with actor Sanjay Mishra in “Kaanchli”, which was released in February. Prime Minister Narendra Modi, in his radio show Mann Ki Baat, thanked the “courage and dedication” of nurses who are fighting a war against COVID-19. “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,” PM Modi said. The Prime Minister announced a health insurance programme worth Rs 50 lakh for over 20 lakh health workers “so that you can lead the nation in this fight with more confidence”. PM Modi said the country is worried about health workers equally as much as they are concerned about patients.