“Patients are given a white pyjama and kurta to be worn inside the ward. I am spending time talking to my friend. But it would be great if they allowed laptops inside the ward.”
A 45-year-old resident of Four Bungalow in Andheri admitted in the isolation ward at Kasturba Hospital is eagerly waiting for reports to confirm whether she is infected by influenza H1N1.
More than anything else she wants to get out of ward no 30 meant to isolate and treat confirmed and suspected swine flu patients. Patients in this ward are not allowed to meet any relatives till they are cured after a five-day course of Tamiflu.
She was quarantined on Thursday evening after she came to Kasturba complaining of fever and cold. Slightly dejected with the hygiene standards inside the ward, she said bed sheets were not changed even after a patient was discharged. “The ward has cubicles, each of which has at least two beds.” Though her reports are still not in, she had to share her cubicle with a patient who had tested positive for swine flu.
“Even after the patient was moved out of the room, the ward boys did not show any urgency in removing the sheets or pillow covers,” she said.
Also, the sheets were mostly dirty and torn. But the toilets were clean, she said, and regularly sanitised. Food, that included milk and juices, were offered regularly. “They told me that I would get Tamiflu after my reports are declared,” she said. Her blood samples and throat swabs were collected immediately on admission.
Dhruv Bheda, a student from a Lonavala school, tested positive on Friday. The hospital called and asked him to get admitted.
His mother Nita said he had complained of breathlessness and was diagnosed with bronchitis. “We never thought he would test positive so it came as a surprise,” she said. Though he was admitted at 2 pm, he was not given any medicine till 5pm.
Bheda said he was satisfied with the arrangement inside the quarantine room as he got a new bed. “Bed sheets are okay and the floor looks clean,” he said over the phone.
“Patients are given a white pyjama and kurta to be worn inside the ward. I am spending time talking to my friend. But it would be great if they allowed laptops inside the ward,” he said.
T Patil, a production executive who was quarantined on Friday evening, looked depressed as she walked inside the isolation ward. She had not informed her parents at Ahmed Nagar. “They will panic unnecessarily. I will inform them once my reports come,” she said.
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