After spending six days receiving treatment for COVID-19 at a CCC2 centre, Andheri resident is back there guiding and assuring other patients
Balram himself was at the quarantine facility from May 6 to May 11
With the seven-day home quarantine period ending for Andheri resident Balram Vishwakarma, 26, he has taken it upon himself to council COVID-19 patients going through stress and anxiety at the CCC2 in Laxmi Industrial Estate.
Balram himself was at the quarantine facility from — May 6 to May 11 and then shifted to Cooper Hospital from May 11 to May 14. "I still feel slightly weak and have frequent chest pains but I am told this is normal," he said, speaking with mid-day.
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On Friday, he got a call from Dr Kusum Gupta, head of the quarantine facility at Laxmi Industrial Estate.
"She said that they were having a tough time counselling some of the patients since no one is willing to come to the ward. She also asked if I could come over and talk to a few patients and clear their head from any concerns or paranoia they had," he said.
The CCC2 centre at Laxmi Industrial Estate has a 300-bed capacity and currently houses around 158 patients. On Sunday evening, Balram held his first counselling session. "I bought my own PPE kit because I didn't want to put pressure them. But they gave me a standard issued kit because they have the resources in abundance. I was given a list of six patients on a priority basis. I went to the wards introduced myself and let them do the talking, so their confidence could increase. Once they were comfortable, I explained the whole treatment, briefed them on what to expect and reassured them," he said.
He also spoke with approximately 110 patients comprising of teenagers, children and senior citizens, by breaking them into groups. When asked why he went back to the centre while recovering, Balram said that it was a mixture of the guilt of being at the receiving end of public healthcare and the attached stigma with being a COVID-19 patient. "It is mainly because of the stigma that I visited and reminded them that they are human — irrespective of what others say and how they are treated."
300
Bed capacity at Laxmi Industrial Estate's CCC2 centre
158
Total no. of patients at Laxmi Industrial Estate's CCC2 centre
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