Suman K Sharma
Prem is a feisty lady. All of eighty-five years; she is fair, frail-looking (on her better days, you would be surprised if she weighs over 36 kilos) and Corona-positive. Pavan, her son, who recently turned 59, is bald, bold and has a little paunch to show that all is well with him. Except that he too is fighting Corona.
The mother and son are under treatment in a hospital-attached hotel of Udhamsingh Nagar (once called ‘Kashipur’), Uttara Khand. They are there because they belong to that town. Pavan is on the faculty of a prestigious business school, where he is also in charge of the administration. Some ten-twelve days ago he came home complaining of cough and fever. Tested positive for the disease, he was admitted to the hotel-turned-medical facility for treatment. Blood samples of other members of the family – Pavan’s mom Prem, his wife, Savita and two grown-up sons – were taken. They were firmly advised to self-quarantine themselves in the home till their test reports were available. Savita had a low-grade fever for one or two days and then she recoveredfully well. The sons did not show any symptoms. Neither did their grandmother, Prem. The family was nonetheless on tenterhooks. The father was Corona-afflicted and they did not know their own status of health.
Then Granny Prem took charge. Concealing her concerns for her only son and her own health, she rallied grandsons and their mother. They also took courage in that she showed not a sign of cough or fever. She was taking her light meals as usual and carrying on with her daily routine as if there was nothing out of order. Her relatives made phone calls all through the day to ask after Pavan and others in the family. To all of them she said in her reassuring voice that Pavan was in good and capable hands and would recover soon. Her daughter wanted to travel from Lucknow to see how they all were doing. But Prem forbade her. She should not take undue risk, she told her.
Behind her brave front, Prem shuddered to think of all sorts of possibilities, now that Covid-19 had made inroads into her family. The reports arrived in three days. Pavan’s wife and sons were found negative. Everybody heaved a sigh of relief. Prem’s report was delayed. They surmised that she too would be negative as she presented no symptoms. There was good news from Pavan as well. He did not have fever and his cough had abated. He hoped to be relieved in a few days.
The following morning the family received a call from the laboratory. Prem had tested positive and would have to be removed to a hospital for treatment. At first, she said she won’t go anywhere; she did not have the disease. The hospital staff told her that if she insisted on remaininghome in spite of her report, she was sure to infect other members in the family. Prem then agreed to go with them. Pavan had, thanks to his influence in the town, ensured that she be housed in the same suite of rooms in the hotel as him. This was a genuine requirement. Because of the near loss of sight, Prem had a difficulty even to take meals on her own.
We human beings are immensely adaptable. Perhaps that is why we are masters of the planet. Pavan has always been a man of independent temperament. Add to this the nature of his job which keeps him busy all his waking hours. He is sweet, but he can be brusque as well. His interaction with his mother or the rest of his family has of necessity been need-based. But in these last few days, there is a sea-change in Pavan’s conduct. ‘He is so caring,’ gushes Prem, ‘he feeds me with his hands. If I have no stomach for regular meals, he gets me mangoes and other fruit. In the morning he tunes in the Mata Vaishno Devi channel for me. Overly cautious lest my oxygen level should fall dangerously low, he has taken to checking it three or four times a day. In taking my care, he has forgotten that he too has been ill….’ Pavan too is all praise for his mother. ‘I never realised before that I have been living with such a wonderful person as my mother,’ he says. ‘She is so strong and intelligent even at her advanced age. What surprises me is that her oxygen level is better than mine.’
Both the mother and son are highly appreciative of the care provided by the hotel staff, the doctors and para-medics. Prem recalls that on a certain day when she did not feel like eating, the hotel staff cajoled her at least to take a glass of milk. She remains asymptomatic. As the things go, both Pavan and Prem may be released in a few days, though they will have to spend a fortnight more in home-quarantine.
One hears dreadful stories of Covid-19 victims. In Delhi, a 70-year former school teacher, panting for lack of oxygen, had to wait for two hours before she was offered medical help. She thought she was going to die waiting for someone to attend to her. In Telangana, a young couple had to pay through their nose to get a hospital bed, and that too on the recommendation of someone important in the administration. There were simply not enough beds to accommodate all the patients. In Jammu itself, people afflicted with Corona would think twice before going to a government hospital for fear of apathy. But going to a private hospital or medical facility would mean paying dearly for the treatment.
Yes, gruesome are the details of indifference, profiteering, nepotism and other malpracticesin our fight against Covid-19. There are instances also of some Corona positive persons, who in their misplace vanity or delusion, try to shy away from the available treatment. Yet, we have shining examples of selfless service and dedication. There, the state machinery, the care-givers in the field and the community at large join their hands to make the patients feel that they are not helpless victims of the deadly virus but well-equipped warriors with a will to win. One hopes that we would have many more Prem-and-Pavan success stories in days to come.
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