Good Experiences Make COVID-19 Bearable For Narmada

Bengaluru: Narmada, 28, lives at Eranna Gudda.

She is a single parent living with her two-year-old child, her mother, father and younger brother. One day, Narmada developed symptoms like sore throat, tiredness, profuse sweating and a slight rise in the body temperature.

She immediately called the ‘Aptha Mithra’ helpline which was set up in April to help people get medical support if they reported COVID-like symptoms. On their advice, she started self-isolating at her home. On August 12, she was tested at the Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike (BBMP) camp.

On the following day, she was reported positive.

Her first reaction was panic mixed with guilt for possibly having infected her family. She had been reading and watching a lot of disturbing news and was extremely worried about her family. Since she was experiencing chest pain, asphyxiation and diarrhea, an ambulance was immediately arranged by the team from CFAR and Helpdesk. She was taken to Rangadurai hospital, kept in the Intensive Care Unit for two days and later shifted to the general ward.

After two days, her younger brother and mother tested positive, but her father and child remained uninfected.

Her mother, 55, was shifted to Corona Care Centre, Gyana Bharathi, while her brother was instructed to self-isolate at home. Narmada was asked to go for a blood test and was prescribed a few extra medicines for which she had to pay Rs. 7,500. When the local councilor got to know about the charges that were levied on her, he asked the Public Relations Officer to check with the hospital. The hospital clarified neither Narmada nor her mother was charged for their COVID-19 treatment.

However, since Narmada had slight variation in her glucose levels, she had to undergo tests and take necessary medication, for which she had to pay.

Recounting her stay at the COVID Care Centre, Narmada said, “The staff of the hospital checked the patients regularly and the facilities at the camp was hygienic and clean. There was no discrimination against anyone and everybody was treated with respect.” While at the camp, she found that many organizations, including BBMP and CFAR, were extending their support to her. She found the caring attitude of the government extremely encouraging.

The only bitter memory Narmada shared was about an incident that took place after her quarantine was over. This related to the discriminatory remarks made by her neighbours who were heard saying that she should be locked up inside the house instead of being allowed to roam around freely. However Narmada is determined not to take this to heart and has decided to educate those who harbor negative thoughts and practice intolerance.

All members of her family have recovered from the Coronavirus and are back to leading their lives normally. Narmada and her family are True Corona Warriors!

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