Covid Warrior serving beggars, quarantined people tests positive

Nagpur: A 45-year-old private doctor, who was working with the police department, serving beggars on roads, counselling and taking care of requirements of people at institutional quarantine centres, has contracted coronavirus. The Covid Warrior was admitted to Indira Gandhi Government Medical College and Hospital (IGGMCH) isolation ward.
“I have been cleaning, dressing up, and giving new clothes to beggars on the roads for last 12 years. I came across a beggar near Gandhi Putla a few days ago. I checked him and realized he was suffering from some ailment. I did his dressing, gave him water and told him I will return. I was in a hurry due to my roza. The next day, the beggar was not there. When I got admitted at IGGMCH, I saw the beggar in the isolation ward and realized he too had tested positive,” the Covid Warrior told TOI.
The doctor works as a medical practitioner at a private hospital at Ramdaspeth. He had 15 days leave for Ramzan period to serve the needy.
He added, “I visited institutional quarantine centres whenever called by doctors of Nagpur Municipal Corporation (NMC) and police department for counselling people, which was multiple times in last two months. I never hesitated to do any work in these two months and have no regret for testing positive,” he said.
The doctor was very active in supplying fruits, food etc during Ramzan period to people in institutional quarantine centres. “As a Covid Warrior, I ensured supply of meals and drinking water to around 5,000 passengers travelling in Shramik Specials in association with police department,” he said.
The doctor is associated with eight NGOs. He and his team held many health camps in last two months to counsel and treat people in Mominpura and Satranjipura containment zones.
NMC zonal medical officer Dr Khwaja Moinuddin said, “The doctor is a real Covid Warrior. He runs a charitable trust through which he holds health camps and distribute medicines. He served a lot of people in institutional quarantine. Today, we had to quarantine his family members.”
The doctor also said, “I had some symptoms like fever, cough for last 2-3 days. I got tested and my reports came positive at 8pm on Monday. I informed NMC additional chief medical officer Dr Praveen Gantawar, who consulted doctors at IGGMCH. I walked out of my home with all things and waited at Seva Sadan Chowk on Central Avenue for the ambulance for an hour. Then, I was admitted at IGGMCH,” he said.
Even during the floods at Satara and Sangli last year, the doctor had carried medicines worth Rs2.5 lakh and distributed them to the needy over his 17-day stay there. In disasters, he has visited and distributed medicines even in Kerala and Jammu & Kashmir.