Man stuck in Ghana as wife, son infected by coronavirus in Mumbai

The man travelled to Accra, Ghana, on March 9 on a business trip.

A 47-year-old man in Ghana is waiting to return home in Chembur, Mumbai, even as his wife and 14-year-old son undergo treatment for coronavirus in Fortis Hospital, Mulund. The family’s youngest child, a 9-year-old girl who suffers from a rare neurological ailment, is stuck in home quarantine with her maid.

A health worker checks the temperature of a traveller as part of the coronavirus screening procedure at the Kotoka International Airport in Accra. (REUTERS)

The man travelled to Accra, Ghana, on March 9 on a business trip. His 43-year-old wife started developing symptoms from March 19. Despite being informed twice, Kasturba Gandhi Hospital allegedly refused to run a test on her as she didn’t have any travel history or wasn’t in direct contact with a person who was carrying the pathogen of coronavirus.

“She went to a local physician who prescribed her antibiotics which didn’t improve her health condition but did delay the diagnosis. Finally, on March 27, she approached a private laboratory that found her positive with Covid-19,” said the man. She was rushed to Fortis Hospital where she is undergoing treatment in the Intensive Care Unit (ICU) and has been kept on minimal artificial breathing support.

The man had no way of returning to India as international airlines were shut. Meanwhile, Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) health workers collected swab samples from other close contacts of his wife, including their teenage son, daughter, his mother-in-law and two maids. On March 29, his son also got diagnosed with Covid-19 along with his mother-in-law and a maid.

“I was hundreds of kilometers away and couldn’t do anything about it. I am more worried for my daughter as she is a specially-abled girl,” he said.

The girl suffers from a rare neurological disorder, RETT Syndrome, which affects the development of the brain in girls. It also affects the immunity of the patients. She is unable to talk, walk and eat on her own.

“She will be taken to my mother’s place. But for now, she is home quarantined in a single room along with a maid. She is having seizures regularly as she can’t see her mother and brother. My wife, who is admitted in ICU, keeps worrying about her, which is also affecting her recovery,” he said.

Now, his 22-year-old nephew is staying with the family but he also doesn’t know how to handle a specially-abled child. The girl’s test is done in a private laboratory and the report is awaited.

The man has sent mails to the ministry of external affairs and the Prime Minister’s Office to rescue him. The family has also started a petition on Change.org and has already received nine thousand signatures.

“I know everything is closed but still, the government is running emergency services across borders. I need to come back to my family. This is a plea to the government from a father,” he said.