When doctor encounters city’s 1st Covid patient

by Mehboob Inamdar

Aurangabad, June 30:

“A woman who returned here from a foreign tour in March 2020 was admitted to our hospital for cold and breathing problems. We started her treatment as usual. After three or four days, we decided to do her Covid test. She was found positive.

The whole atmosphere of the hospital had changed. I never thought that I am going to treat the first-ever Covid patient of the city. It was a totally different experience as the pandemic virus was spread the world over,” said Dr Varun Gavali, the

Consultant Intensivist and Chest Physician from Dhoot Hospital.

He said that there was fear not just inside the hospital but also outside the world.

“No one has experience of treating the pandemic patient nor had any medication called Remdesivir at that time. We studied measures and treatment of the virus in a short time. Doctors who were treating patients in other parts of the State were consulted. She was discharged after two weeks and all heaved a sigh of relief. The staff members of the ward, including myself, were staying away from family as precautionary,” he said.

Dr Varun Gavali, who was away from home for six months, said that around 11,000 patients treated under his team’s monitoring and care since March 2020.

“In the beginning, there was fear and anxiety among my family members and friends as I was working in pandemic patients wards. Later, they always supported and urged me to take care of my health. My team members and me had to stay in a hostel or separate room for nearly six months during the peak of Covid. There was no face to face social contact or personal life outside the world except through phone in the pandemic situation as a precaution,” he uttered.

Dr Gavali said that there was tremendous stress on doctors and other staff members. “The task of handing relatives was tougher than their patients. They used to call me anytime and insist on me give further medicines to their patients. Despite the stress, convincing relatives of dead patients was another important work,” he said.

The Consultant Intensivist and Chest Physician feels contended to treat the first pandemic patient of the city.