Table 2 Themes, subthemes, codes and frequency of codes mentioned by participants

Early phase of the pandemic

Effects of the pandemic

Fear and anxiety

(M2)*3/(M3)*16/(M5)*6/(N1)*2/(N3)*1/(N4)*5/(N5)*2/(N6)*1/(L1)*3/(L2)*8/(L3)*6/(L4)*6/(H1)*2/(H2)*2/(H3)*5/(H4)*1/(H5)*4

Global, social, educational and economic impact

(M3)*4/(N5)*4/(N6)*5/(L2)*2/(H2)*2/(H5)*1

A call to duty

My responsibility

(M1)*14/(M2)*5/(M3)*6/(M4)*1/(M5)*3/(N1)*12/(N2)*4/(N3)*5/(N4)*5/(N5)*7/(N6)*3/(L1)*1/(L3)*9/(H1)*4/(H2)*3/(H3)*5

An honour to serve

(M2)*1/(N2)*1/(N4)*2

Feeling skeptical

(M4)*2

Loss of clients

(M3)*6

Fighting the challenge

(M1)*2/(M2)*3/(M3)*2/(M4)*1/(N1)*1/(H1)*2/ (H3)*1

Treatment of FHCWs

Government need to do more

(M1)*10/(M2)*8/(M5)*1/(N2)*2/(N6)*3

Kudos to hospital management/ partners

(M1)*1 /(M2)*7

Working with COVID-19 patients

Taking care of patients

Excited working with patients

(M2)*4/(M4)*3/(M5)*3/(N1)*3/(N2)*2/(L1)*5/(L2)*5/(H2)*3

Caring for patients

(M2)*2/(N3)*18/(N4)*9/(N5)*9/(N6)*10/(L1)*5/(L2)*2/(L3)*6/(L4)*1/(H3)*4/(H4)*2/(H5)*4

Types of patients

Difficult patients

(M3)*6

Accommodating patients

(M3)*8

Difficulty in accepting status

(N4)*7

Enormous task

Enormous task

(M1)*4/(M3)*5/(L1)*2/(L3)*6/(L4)*1/(H2)*5/(H5)*2

Psychological, mental and emotional trauma

Psychological and emotional trauma

Feeling tired, discouraged and depressed

(M1)*7/(M3)*5(M4)*5/(M5)*2/(N1)*4/(N5)*2

Fear of infection

(M4)*8/(N4)*7/(H5)*1/(L2)*2/(L3)*1

Mental challenge

Cutoff of relationships

(M2)*4/ (N2)*1/(N3)*5/(N4)*5

Stress

Fever experience

(L3)*5/(L4)*1

PPE stress

(N6)*2

Priming the mind

Living with the pandemic

(L1)*2

Stigmatization

Stigma associated behaviours

Feel stigmatized

(M1)*3/(M2)*13/(M3)*1/(M4)*3/(M5)*4/(N1)*6/(N2)*2/(N3)*2/(N4)*5/(N5)*6/(N6)*3/(L1)*1/(L2)*2/(L3)*1/(L4)*3/(H1)*2/(H2)*5/(H3)*1/(H4)*1/(H5)*3

Stigmatized by family/friends

(M2)*3/(M3)*3/(M4)*2/(M5)*2/(N2)*2/(N4)*2/(N5)*2/(N6)*3/(L2)*4/(H1)*1/(H5)*1

Stigmatized by colleagues

(M1)*4/(M2)*1/(M3)*11/(M4)*5/(M5)*3/(N1)*9/(N2)*1/(N3)*8/(N4)*7/(N5)*4/(N6)*5(L1)*3/(L3)*6/(L4)*4/(H1)*3/(H2)*5/(H3)*6/(H4)*4/(H5)*2

Stigmatized by community

(M1)*3/(M2)*1(M3)*6/(M5)*1/(N1)*3/(N2)*2/(N6)*1/(L1)*4/(L3)*4/(H2)*9/(H3)*4/(H4)*3

Effects of stigma

Withdrawal behaviour

(M1)*4/(L1)*6/(H2)*2/(H5)*1

Reasons for stigmatization

Fear of infection

(M1)*8/(M2)*2/(M3)*4/(M4)*3/(M5)*1/(N1)*3/(N3)*4/(N4)*3/(N5)*4/(N6)*1/(L1)*3/(L4)*2/(H1)*1/(H4)*1/(H5)*3

Limited/lack of knowledge

(M2)*3/(N2)*2/(N3)*6/(L1)*3/(L2)*3/(H3)*5

Working at the isolation centre

(L3)*2/(L4)*4/(H2)*2/(H5)*1

Recommendations

More knowledge on infection, prevention and control

Education and awareness creation

(M1)*1/(M2)*4/(M3)*12/(M4)*6/(M5)*2/(N1)*2/(N4)*8/(N5)*2/(N6)*1/(L2)*7/(L4)*1/(H2)*2

Observation of preventive measures

(N5)*3/(N6)*3

Improvement of services of FHCWs

Motivation of FHCWs

(N4)*8/(N3)*1/(L1)*2/(H1)*1/(H3)*4/(H5)*5

Need for more laboratory equipment’s

(L3)*1/(H3)*1

Increase manpower

(N3)*1

Health insurance

(M1)*1/(M2)*1/(M3)*4/(M4)*2/(M5)*2/(N1)*4/(N2)*1/(N3)*1/(N4)*1/(N5)*1/(N6)*1/(L1)*1/(L2)*2/(L3)*1/(L4)*1/(H1)*1/(H2)*1/(H3)*1/(H4)*1/(H5)*1