‘Fight coronavirus, not the patients’
   Date :02-Aug-2020

Fight coronavirus not the
 
 
 
By Chandana Roy :
 
INDIA has a good recovery rate of more than 64 per cent in COVID-19 cases. The country’s case fatality rate at 2.21 per cent is one of the lowest in the world. Most patients affected by coronavirus are recovering and going home, but they face a huge social stigma after recovery. They are shunned by their relatives, friends, and society in general. Social distancing has turned into social discrimination. Most recovered patients ‘The Hitavada’ talked to said that they felt like a ‘criminal’ after coming back home. Many patients said, that people do not even call them on the phone thinking somehow they’ll get affected by the virus. The pandemic has caused havoc across the world, wrecking the global system.
 
It is good to take precautions, and keep oneself and one’s own family safe, but it is wrong to socially boycott recovered patients or the victims of coronavirus. The Union Government, too, is trying to send this message across in each phone call - the COVID-19 caller tune says Bimari se ladiye, bimar se nahi (Fight coronavirus, not the patients). A doctor who tested coronavirus positive in Nagpur said, “My neighbours have shunned me and my family completely. When I was being taken in ambulance, my neighbour took my photo and it became viral across the city and the State. Is this behavior right? Being a doctor, I helped my neighbours numerous numbers of time, but they made the photo viral and it was publicised in media.
 
I felt like a criminal. If my mother draws a rangoli at the entrance of our home, every neighbour closes their doors and windows as if the virus will fly into their homes. Social distancing should not turn into social boycott, and it’s wrong to make a patient’s photo viral. I had taken every precaution after testing positive, I didn’t even meet my family, but we faced a lot of mental harassment. People should take every precaution, but be socially kind, as a recovered patient does not spread the disease”. Dr Avinash Gawande from GMC Nagpur, said he also had sensed this hate and fear.
 
“The society has to give up this extreme fear, as we have to live with COVID-19 till a vaccine is available. The only method to beat it is by maintaining hand hygiene, wearing mask and social distancing. I’m an adolescent counsellor and I’ve seen corona related fear affecting children due to social isolation. Stress levels and anxiety are high among people. Few COVID-19 positive patients have committed suicide. If anyone feels they are getting affected by high stress levels, they should contact the doctor immediately”. A recovered patient from Nagpur said, “People are ignorant about the issue. If a person is suffering people should not hate him and the family, they can keep distance, help from far, or at least be kind.”
 
He said his family had to face mental trauma though no one except him was positive. Another recovered patient from a small town near Nagpur, said, “He has still not joined work as people still stay away from him. I can understand the fear and that is why I didn’t take tension over people avoiding me. But, they certainly have changed the meaning of social distancing into social discrimination.
 
The world was worried about a nuclear war, but here a microscopic virus has created mayhem”. Dr Sagar Pande, Deputy Superintendent at IGGMC had a different take on the issue. He said, “It is certainly a testing time and there is definitely lack of awareness, but it is wrong to blame only the society as the patients too after recovering do not follow norms, or stay in home isolation for 14 days. They go mix with people. All patients must follow 14 day home isolation”. He said, he didn’t recollect any patient being boycotted by the society.