COVID-19 impact: In quarantine, hospital staff sends SOS for breakfast

Ambulances oustide the crematorium

For 30 employees of Saifee Hospital at Charni Road, who are quarantined, Sunday morning was a harrowing time as they got breakfast only after themselves making repeated calls to get it arranged. The staff which includes doctors, nurses and non-medical employees, was quarantined after a doctor at the hospital tested positive for COVID-19 and died, now fears they might face issues getting food again.

mid-day had reported that a 53-year-old cardiac surgeon with Saifee Hospital tested positive for Coronavirus. The civic body shut down several sections of the hospital and quarantined other employees. The man's 85-year-old father, who was also associated with Saifee Hospital and died at Hinduja Hospital on Thursday had tested COVID-19 positive.

'Made calls for breakfast'
One of the doctors in quarantine said, "There was no issue as such on Friday and Saturday, Sunday began with no breakfast till 10.30 am or 11.00 am. It was only after repeated calls to the administrative staff, that they got it. We were worried if we would get lunch and dinner so I made calls to my friends asking them to source food for 30 of us in quarantine, through social workers. But in the afternoon we found the administration will arrange food for us."

'Arrange own food'
He added, "We hope this arrangement is not temporary as we were told the reason for delay in breakfast was absence of kitchen staff. We were also told to arrange for our own food. How are we supposed to do so? We even have to stay away from our family. I cannot expect my family to bring me food as our housing society has asked them to home quarantine themselves. Being a medical professional I understand the importance of quarantine but unavailability of food is a problem and I hope the administration continues to send it."

Late on Sunday the doctor said that he had tested negative for COVID-19. However, there was no official confirmation on this.

There was no response from the spokesperson of Saifee Hospital.

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