“My father, who was posted in a COVID-19 ward, was neither given proper personal protective equipment (PPE), nor was he tested by Sion hospital despite presenting some symptoms,” said Pradnya Kamble, daughter of Sewri TB (tuberculosis) Hospital ward assistant Vilas Jadhav, who died of COVID-19 last week.
Jadhav (54) was denied admission by Sion hospital and eventually admitted to KEM Hospital where he tested positive, was put on ventilator, but died soon after.
The family has lost its only breadwinner, is facing stigma, and has not been approached with any compensation offer so far.
Tale of frontline workers
This is the tale of hundreds of healthcare workers, police staffers, BEST staffers and civic staffers across the city. Many have tested positive for novel coronavirus, and several have also died.
Jadhav was a resident of Govandi, which has emerged as a hotspot, and worked in the MDR-TB ward, which sees advanced-stage patients. The hospital has had 16 COVID-19 patients with suspected TB, of whom two died. Besides, 35 of its staffers have tested positive. Jadhav, the only staffer who succumbed to the virus, worked in the COVID-19 ward.
“My father did not have any co-morbidities. Even though he was a year short of 55, nobody asked him to not work in a COVID-19 ward. He once sent me a picture of him wearing a PPE. It was a thin piece of plastic. The main kits were not given to the staff, they are still working under fear. It was only after he developed a fever two weeks ago that he stopped going to work,” Ms. Kamble said.
The family says Jadhav initially took some medicines from a local doctor but when the fever persisted, he went to Sion hospital. “They did not feel the need to admit him nor did they prescribe a COVID-19 test, even though he had a recurring fever and dry throat. A few days later, he started complaining of breathlessness, diarrhoea and vomiting, which is when we took him to TB Hospital. But they did not have oxygen support or ventilators, so we moved him to KEM Hospital. At KEM, my husband had to hold my father’s IV bottle while the latter sat on a stool. The union had to step in to get him a decent bed,” Ms. Kamble said.
Jadhav was admitted to KEM Hospital on Monday. He tested positive on Wednesday and as his condition deteriorated was put on life support (ventilator). He passed away on Saturday. His death certificate mentions respiratory failure as a result of COVID-19 as the cause of death.
His body was handed over to the family only on Sunday, after completion of formalities, despite a State government rule to dispose of bodies within 12 hours. Jadhav’s wife and daughters could not attend the cremation as they are in institutional quarantine. However, none of them have presented any symptoms.
“We will ensure his family gets the compensation they deserve. As per rules, his daughter will also get a job,” said Pradeep Narkar of Municipal Mazdoor Union.
The family has no means of income any more as Jadhav’s wife is about the same age as him and also hypertensive. Ms. Kamble, though married, may take up the job to support her mother and 15-year-old sister. They have not been approached by any official yet.
“Our neighbours and relatives want nothing to do with us due to fear of contracting the virus. We have no support,” Ms. Kamble said.
‘We are equipped’
However, Dr. Lalit Anande, medical superintendent of TB hospital refuted all allegations. “We have good quality PPEs available, but the staff doesn’t want to use it. due to internal politics. Our hospital is equipped to handle COVID-19 cases and I wish the family had kept him here. We have protocols in place for infectious diseases and have been taking precautions since even before this outbreak,” he said. “Our ventilators are reserved for TB patients and we do not have permission to use them for non-TB patients,” he said. Dr. Anande also claimed that the staff got infected from their respective residential areas, not the hospital. “The only problem is that But we are equipped to treat all patients including our staff,” he said. He said the family will be offered compensation as per rules.
