covid experience at the BMC covid hospitals

 1) If anyone has symptoms even for a short period of time or if one has come in contact with a person who has tested positive, it makes immense sense to get a PCR test done 

2) Testing facilities are freely available now and the test process is conducted quite well. All three of us experienced a fairly efficient procedure of testing. For very senior people  or disabled people who cannot go to a test centre, home visits for testing are also possible. kumar got tested at Suburban Diagnostics and Ram and I got tested at Kokilaben hospital. The experience was similar. 

3) In case the test is positive for covid-19, the BMC will contact the person. For people above the age of 50, they recommend getting admitted to a hospital, but do not insist if we can convince them that we have a convenient home set-up to do self-quarantining. 

4) In the case of people like kumar, they insist on isolating at a BMC quarantine centre as his house is very small and home-quarantine would mean subjecting his family to a high risk of contracting this contagious virus

5) kumar was taken to BMC’s Dahisar quarantine centre and he has given me permission to share his experiences so far. Following are key points based on his narrative. 

- A BMC van came and picked him up from his home and took him to Dahisar. The drive was long and quite tiring 

- But once he reached the place, he has had a very pleasant and relaxing experience. He has been assigned a bed in a large hall. 

- the hall is centrally air-conditioned and everyone is given adequate blankets and pillows. If anyone wants an additional fan by the bedside or if people want to change their place because of a strong AC blast, their requests are accommodated 

- the room as well as toilets are clean and well maintained

- each patient is given basic toiletries such as soap  

- there is phone charging facilities and the signal is very good. So kumar talks to his family and us quite regularly.

 - doctors check on him roughly 3-5 times a day - his oxygen saturation, temperature and BP are checked and recorded. For patients who are too old or alone, there are nurses who personally sit next to the patient and even feed them ! In kumar’s case, since he is asymptomatic and quite fit, he does not need that kind of personal attention. Still, he says, the staff are very attentive 

- the food is quite good. Breakfast comprises tea and a nastha item like poha, lunch is rice, rotis, dal and subji ; then there is evening tea and biscuits and then again there is dinner. The meals are set meals. For those who want more quantity, an additional set is provided 

- there are cases of whole families being quarantined and they are given beds adjacent to one another. Some of these families have kids too among them.

- for patients who have serious symptoms, there is another wing and kumar is not aware of the details of that wing 

- he says that in his chats with people, there is much appreciation for the govt and BMC and that the health care is as good or even better than some private facilities.