MUMBAI: When
Suresh Chavan
was looking for a hospital to admit his Covid-positive parents, his neighbours in
Katgaon Tanda
village, Latur cautioned him against it, saying anyone that old who goes to a Covid hospital never comes back home. His 105-year-old father,
Dhenu Chavan
, and 95-year-old mother, Motabai, proved everyone wrong.
The couple spent nine days in the ICU of Vilasrao Deshmukh Institute of Medical Sciences in Latur battling the virus, and came out victorious. Doctors who treated the centenarian couple said early diagnosis and timely treatment helped them beat the virus.
A total of five members of the Chavan family had tested positive on March 24. “We live as a joint family. Other than my parents, the three children had tested positive too. My parents were running high temperatures and my father had a severe stomachache as well, and so I decided to admit them both to a hospital,” said Suresh.
He found a bed at the government medical college, which is three hours away from this village. “My parents were very scared and so was I, but I knew that keeping them at home would be a wrong decision,” said Suresh. This decision on his behalf proved helpful. “They had a CT (computed tomography) score of 15/25, which was a concern due to their age. They were on oxygen support and were also given five doses of the antiviral
remdesivir injections
,” said Dr Gajanan Halkanche who treated the couple.
Dhenu Chavan was discharged on April 5 while Motabai took two more days to recover.
‘They were brought to us in time and there was no delay in seeking treatment and that made a significant difference,” said Dr Halkanche. Latur district is currently seeing an average of 1,000 cases daily and several patients are not getting tested in time and coming in the hospital with very severe symptoms. “We are appealing to the public to ensure they get tested as soon as they see any symptoms. Timely detection and treatment will ensure complete recovery,” said Dr Halkanche.
Suresh said he would go to the hospital every day and see his parents from a small glass window. “He would always ask me if they would ever get better and would see our village again. And every day I kept telling them they will be discharged tomorrow,” said Suresh.
He said his father, a farmer, has been very active all his life and worked towards water conservation in the drought-prone region. He had gifted his own land to construct a school and a well in the village. “When they were discharged, people from across the district told me that it is his good deeds that have helped him fight the virus,” said Suresh.
Stay updated with the latest news on Times of India. Don't miss daily games like Crossword, Sudoku, and Mini Crossword.Bhavika Jain, senior correspondent with The Times of India. While...
Read MoreBhavika Jain, senior correspondent with The Times of India. While her primary beat is the BMC, she also keep tab on stories relating to other beats like heritage, environment and health. When she is not scouting for news stories, she usually watch films or try out new places to eat.
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