Cheer and joy replaced anxiety and gloom at the Gandhi Hospital here on Wednesday as a 45-day-old baby, said to be Telangana’s youngest COVID-19 survivor, was discharged along with 12 more children after being treated in paediatric wards.
The infant was only 23 days old when he was admitted to the hospital. His family hails from the southern part of Telangana.
Health Minister Eatala Rajender appreciated the efforts put in by para-medical staff, nurses and doctors and said the infant is the youngest COVID-19 case in the country. However, health officials said he is ‘probably’ the youngest survivor, indicating a lack of clarity.
In some cases, children, who along with their parents, tested positive were allotted separate rooms in the hospital. It had earlier been published in these columns that the children were ready to be discharged.
Though the children had tested negative twice consecutively, their parents continued battling the novel coronavirus. So, they chose to stay in the hospital along with their kids until they all recovered since their family members were not keen on taking care of the children, some revealed.
The Health department released videos of the moments when the children walked out of the hospital. Holding balloons and standing by their parents’ side, they answered questions about their treatment. A few of them told COVID-19 nodal officer at Gandhi Hospital, Prabhakar Reddy, that they forged friendship with other children during their stay.
On the whole, 35 people were discharged, including the 13 children and infants.
Acting on feedback
Asked for feedback on the medical and food facilities at the hospital, a young patient’s parent pointed out that the quality of dal served was not good and they relied on tea and biscuits. Another parent said the condition of bathrooms needs to improve.
Hospital authorities said they have been acting on the feedback from those who have been discharged.
