PUNE: Ashish Baxi (52) tested positive for Covid-19 infection in mid-April and was admitted to a private hospital in the city.
With no interaction with family for nearly four to five days, he started feeling depressed.
Anupama Lad, the ICU in-charge, said that Baxi would always ask about his family members.
“He would ask the sisters in the ward about his daughter and wife and also his parents. So, we decided to take a chance and allowed his wife to visit him. That one visit did wonders for him and with some counselling, he could recover well," said Lad.
Visit by relatives of coronavirus-affected patients are generally not encouraged by
hospitals
due to the fear of infection. Hospital authorities said that exception is made for patients who need mental support.“We allow young healthy relatives with all necessary precautions to attend to patients' emotional needs,” said Sudhir Patsute of Naidu hospital.
Some hospitals also connect patients with their relatives at home through video calls to boost their confidence.
At the Jehangir Hospital, patients undergo regular counselling. Farzana Mulla, head of Jehangir Centre for Neuropsychology, said, "We have made therapeutic counselling available to Covid-19 positive patients in wards and ICUs as well.
Aniket Joshi, president, Association of Physicians of India, Pune unit, said, “Music therapy also works wonders and we are seeing great results among Covid patients.”
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