Jalil Parkar, a 62-year-old doctor who has treated many famous personalities that include Shiv Sena founder Balasaheb Thackeray to actor Dilip Kumar, is now a COVID-19 survivor and said that he came with face to face with death during his fight against the infection.
Speaking to , Parkar said that he had treated more than 200 COVID-19 patients here at Lilavati Hospital. One day, he suddenly started having a severe backache as there was no fever and no breathlessness. But after a few days, his health started to deteriorate.
"The administrators of Lilavati Hospital sent an ambulance. Immediately at my place, I got a CT scan and I was sent to the ICU after I was tested COVID-19 positive which later had an effect on my appetite, taste buds and sense of smell," he said.
Parkar's wife also tested positive for the coronavirus as well. But he said that he had to stay strong and did not want "to give up".
"I saw my wife too was tested positive and admitted next to me in the same hospital but I was fully aware that I have to be strong and do not want to give up because if I gave up then, who will look after my wife and my family. I was scared because the experience is totally different when you treat others and when you tested positive," he said.
Parkar further added, "'Maut ke munh se baahar aaya hun' (I escaped death). I would not have got cured if my colleague doctors have not given their support and medicine time after time with proper care."
"One of my colleague doctors, who treated me, also tested COVID-19 positive and was admitted as well. What the doctor does is a valuable job and one must give incentives to doctors as they work very hard," he said further.
Stressing on the stigmas associated with COVID-19 patients once recovered from the virus, he said that the positive patients are seen as untouchable and those who think like that must be punished as it gives a wrong message to the society.
"I was also seen in the same way but I am well capable of teaching them a lesson," he said.
( With inputs from ANI )