While fighting for his life against Covid-19 in ICU, Parveen Kumar Maurya, a CA by profession observed the difficulties that the Covid patients had to face during their hospital stay. Soon after recovering from Covid, Maurya jotted down these observations and shared them with the Prime Minister, UP Chief Minister and Deputy Chief Minister in the form of a letter. Maurya believes that the following observations, if enforced, will bring down the fatality rate among the Covid patients.
1). Facilitate Movement
When a COVID-19 patient is at his/her bed, their SPO2 level tends to be in the range of 80 to 90. But this SPO2 level sharply comes down to 50 to 60 when the patient has to move to the washroom or the X-ray room, as the patient can’t carry the oxygen mask with him/her. Once the patient returns to their bed, it takes them around 2 to 3 hours to regain the SPO2 level of 80 to 90.
Maurya said, “There was one patient next to me (around 62 years old), who fell down in front of the toilet gate during mid night. Before going to the toilet, his SPO2 level was 85, but due to this incident, he got an injury in his head and he was unable to recover, next morning he was declared dead.”
Sharing his personal experience, he said, “When I was in hospital, I was asked by the ward boy to come outside and get my lungs X-ray done for which I had to walk a distance of 80 meters. Before going to the X-ray room, my SPO2 level was 92, but after covering those 80 meters, my SPO2 oxygen fell down to 70. I was about to die at that moment, but luckily I was having my asthma puff (though I am not an Asthma patient) and inhaler which helped me to reach my bed safely. It took me 3 hours to regain the 90 SPO2 level.”
In the letter, Maurya suggests that a wheelchair along with a small oxygen cylinder must be made avivabvle to the Covid patients to facilitate their movements. “This will not only save lives, but also the oxygen supply.”
With this arrangement, the Covid patient can recover early, he believes.
2). Establish waiting facility outside hospitals
In the letter, Maurya writes that when he reached the Tej Bahadur Sapru Hospital, where he received treatment for Covid, he was in a miserable condition. Still he was forced to sit on a road outside the hospital while his attendant was completing admission related formalities.
To banish the discomfort it brings to a Covid patient, Maurya suggests that a makeshift tent should be installed outside every hospital, where the patients can wait till their attendant completes admission related formalities. “Also, if possible, the hospital must facilitate the movement of the patient, from outside the hospital to the ward, in a wheelchair with small oxygen / cylinder.”
Talking of how delay in completion of admission formalities can cause death, Maurya shared one instance where it took 2 hours for a Covid patient’s attendant to complete the admission formalities, during these two hours, the patient did not receive any oxygen and died while he was being moved to the ward.
3. Slash prices of orange and coconut water
The prices of Orange and Coconut water, known to eliminate weakness in the body, must be regulated, urged Maurya in his letter.
He also urged the Union Transportation Minister to not levy any toll tax on transportation of Oranges and Coconut water’s supply for any part of India and exempt GST portion of Centre on purchase of diesel/petrol for those vehicles who are engaged in supply of Oranges and Coconut waters.
