?We met her, interacted with her without any clue?
MANOJ MORE
Posted: Wednesday, Aug 05, 2009 at 0341 hrs
When Reeda Shaikh's body was being taken for funeral, her wailing relatives had little idea that she had died of swine flu. Not just that, many of the mourners did not know that swine flu had claimed hundreds of lives the world over. Some who knew were too shocked to react and act. In the hospital too, several relatives and friends who came to see Reeda spent time with her in the private room and also sat for hours outside the ICU without "faintest" idea about the swine flu.
"It was only after mediapersons came rushing to us that we realised that Reeda had died of swine flue," said Usman Gilder, a close relative of the Shaikhs. Accusing the hospital of keeping the family in the dark, Gilder said that throughout the girl's stay in the hospital, the doctors never told the family that she had contracted swine flu. The most shocking aspect, Gilder said, was when the girl was moved to the intensive care unit.
"We were not allowed to go inside. In fact, nobody was given permission to step inside. We kept looking through the glass. We were stunned to find that there was nobody except Reeda inside the ICU. We just could not understand what was going on. We were simply told that the girl was suffering from flu," said Gilder, who kept a night vigil outside the ICU a day before Reeda died.
Hospital officials said that on July 30, Reeda's throat swab was sent to the National Institute of Virology (NIV) for viral studies. "On July 31, the NIV gave a positive report and immediately the patient was isolated and barrier precautions were started," said Dr Prasad Muglikar, medical superintendent, Jehangir Hospital.
Till Wednesday, morning the girl was apparently in "better" condition. "After Wednesday, she started sinking and went into a coma," says Gilder. Before her condition began deteriorating, Reeda had a ?poollav? made especially for her at residence in Nana Peth. "She kept telling us that she had lost 'taste' and needed something which was not very hot and spicy," he says. She had also apparently developed rashes all over her body. Gilder alleges that the doctors kept asking for different amounts for the treatment provided. "We were asked to deposit different sums at different times," he alleged.
Meanwhile, Geeta Ranpise of the Ranpise Classes said there was no question of Reeda contracting the flu in the tuition class as reportedly alleged by some of her relatives. "She had stopped coming to the class over three weeks back ? from July 14. On July 13, she came to the class and did not complain about fever or any ailment. It was class as usual," she said. "When she did not turn up for nearly two weeks, I called up her family, who told me that she was not keeping well," said Ranpise. The tuition teacher said none of her students have suffered from any ailment all these days as the girl had not come to the class at all after falling ill. "We have some students from the school and all are healthy. Our class was given a holiday yesterday, but today we functioned as usual," Ranpise said.
http://www.indianexpress.com/news/-We-met-her--interacted-with-her-without-any-clue-/498114
MANOJ MORE
Posted: Wednesday, Aug 05, 2009 at 0341 hrs
When Reeda Shaikh's body was being taken for funeral, her wailing relatives had little idea that she had died of swine flu. Not just that, many of the mourners did not know that swine flu had claimed hundreds of lives the world over. Some who knew were too shocked to react and act. In the hospital too, several relatives and friends who came to see Reeda spent time with her in the private room and also sat for hours outside the ICU without "faintest" idea about the swine flu.
"It was only after mediapersons came rushing to us that we realised that Reeda had died of swine flue," said Usman Gilder, a close relative of the Shaikhs. Accusing the hospital of keeping the family in the dark, Gilder said that throughout the girl's stay in the hospital, the doctors never told the family that she had contracted swine flu. The most shocking aspect, Gilder said, was when the girl was moved to the intensive care unit.
"We were not allowed to go inside. In fact, nobody was given permission to step inside. We kept looking through the glass. We were stunned to find that there was nobody except Reeda inside the ICU. We just could not understand what was going on. We were simply told that the girl was suffering from flu," said Gilder, who kept a night vigil outside the ICU a day before Reeda died.
Hospital officials said that on July 30, Reeda's throat swab was sent to the National Institute of Virology (NIV) for viral studies. "On July 31, the NIV gave a positive report and immediately the patient was isolated and barrier precautions were started," said Dr Prasad Muglikar, medical superintendent, Jehangir Hospital.
Till Wednesday, morning the girl was apparently in "better" condition. "After Wednesday, she started sinking and went into a coma," says Gilder. Before her condition began deteriorating, Reeda had a ?poollav? made especially for her at residence in Nana Peth. "She kept telling us that she had lost 'taste' and needed something which was not very hot and spicy," he says. She had also apparently developed rashes all over her body. Gilder alleges that the doctors kept asking for different amounts for the treatment provided. "We were asked to deposit different sums at different times," he alleged.
Meanwhile, Geeta Ranpise of the Ranpise Classes said there was no question of Reeda contracting the flu in the tuition class as reportedly alleged by some of her relatives. "She had stopped coming to the class over three weeks back ? from July 14. On July 13, she came to the class and did not complain about fever or any ailment. It was class as usual," she said. "When she did not turn up for nearly two weeks, I called up her family, who told me that she was not keeping well," said Ranpise. The tuition teacher said none of her students have suffered from any ailment all these days as the girl had not come to the class at all after falling ill. "We have some students from the school and all are healthy. Our class was given a holiday yesterday, but today we functioned as usual," Ranpise said.
http://www.indianexpress.com/news/-We-met-her--interacted-with-her-without-any-clue-/498114
