A differently-abled staff nurse attached to the Rajah Muthiah Medical College and Hospital (RMMCH) in Chidambaram, who had tested COVID-19 positive, had a harrowing experience on Tuesday evening after she was forced to wait at her home for an ambulance for over six hours.
The staff nurse T. Jenmarakhini developed fever while she was posted for duty in the RMMCH a couple of days ago. She was prescribed antibiotics and asked to remain at home.
The test results returned positive on Tuesday and the health authorities in Cuddalore asked her to wait at home for an ambulance.
“I received the call at around 2 p.m. on Tuesday asking me to be prepared to be shifted to the hospital. The health authorities at Parangipettai also called me and asked me to be ready to be shifted to the Golden Jubilee hostel, a quarantine facility due to shortage of beds in RMMCH.
“The revenue officials and the police also called me at 5 p.m. and verified the details. But there was no sign of the vehicle till 11.00 p.m. and I was forced to wait in front of my house for nearly six hours,” she said.
Ms. Jenmarakhini said that she couldn’t wait any longer due to severe body pain and her health conditions since she had undergone an angiogram procedure.
The health authorities swung into action and sent an ambulance to pick her up only after the Tamil Nadu Association for the Rights of All Types of Differently Abled and Caregivers (TARATDAC) alerted senior officials apprising them of her condition.
Ms. Jenmarakhini said that the duty doctor at the Golden Jubilee hospital advised her to get admitted in RMMCH since she had undergone angio and she was sent to the hospital.
However, the ordeal didn’t end there and she was forced to wait in the ambulance for nearly 30 minutes as there was no information from the hospital authorities.
“I was not even allotted the pay ward in RMMCH in spite of telling the staff that I was entitled to the facility. I was accommodated in the COVID-19 ward with other patients who were recovering from the infection,” she said.
State president of TARATDAC Jhansi Rani said there was a standing order of the State government that differently-abled employees should not be deployed for COVID-19 duty and they should be granted leave with pay.
But this circular was violated much to the agonising experience of the patient, she said.
When contacted, a senior official of the district administration said that he will look into the issue.
