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Staying strong at 70, two elderly women in Ludhiana beat corona
She has been waiting in the step-down unit of the Covid-19 facility of Christian Medical College and Hospital since Monday
A day after her son expressed inability in paying the hospital bill running into lakhs of rupees, the 72-year-old Jalandhar-based woman, who was cured of Covid-19, finally started her return journey home.
She had been waiting in the step-down unit of the Covid-19 facility of Christian Medical College and Hospital since Monday, however, no one turned up to take her home. The woman’s son stated that as she was a victim of a pandemic and as there was no vaccine to cure the decease, the government should pay the hospital’s outstanding bill of Rs 4.77 lakh.
However, on Thursday, the matter was resolved when the medical institute revised the bill amount as per the directions of Union government which put a cap on treatment rates. The revised bill was Rs 3.62 lakh.
Her son, who runs a stationery shop in Jalandhar, said that issue has been resolved and his mother was finally returning home. “It is celebration time in our house. My mother has defeated deadly coronavirus and we would be able to meet her after a month,” said Naresh Chhabra, while speaking over the phone from his house in Nijatam Nagar, Jalandhar.
The woman was rushed to Christian Medical College and Hospital on March 21, following complaints of dry cough, fever and breathlessness. Her Covid-19 test was conducted on March 24 and it turned out to be positive on March 26. After a month long treatment, two consecutive tests held on April 16 and 19 turned out to be negative following which she was discharged.
Dr Vineeth Jaison, in-charge of the Covid-19 facility at CMCH, stated that the patient was sent with her son and grandson. He added that the remaining payment was also made to hospital.
He congratulated the team for successfully saving the life of positive patient who was very sick when she was brought to the hospital.
‘Stay home, mantra to beat COVID-19’
Surinder Kaur, 72, who tested positive for the virus on April 1, was discharged from the hospital on Monday. A resident of Amarpura, she tested negative twice following which she was discharged. Kaur was infected after coming in contact with Puja Rani, 42, the first Covid-19 casualty of the city.
She said that staying home is the only way to beat the virus.
Surinder was given a warm send-off by the hospital staff. Staff lead by SMO Dr Geeta Kataria and other doctors lined up outside the gate of Covid-19 unit and cheered her on as she left the hospital.
