GMCH doctor flies to Doon, serves in govt hospital to save dad & others

Nagpur: The pandemic has brought with it numerous depressing stories of deaths and bereavement, but at the same time, it has given us many heroes. Last 20 days in the life of Dr Neetish Sinha, a resident doctor from anaesthesiology department of Government Medical College and Hospital (GMCH) Nagpur, too has introduced a hero within him to all.
Dr Neetish, himself a Covid-recovered patient, travelled all the way to Dehradun from Nagpur on May 2. He got his Covid-19 positive father admitted to the government hospital and also got permission to serve in the same ward as a doctor. While being with his father boosting his morale, Dr Neetish also used his experience in GMCH Nagpur to save many patients in the hospital.
Recently, his father has got discharge from the hospital. Dr Neetish is still in Dehradun looking after his father at home and many others in the hospital as Uttarakhand is still experiencing the peak of Covid-19.
Neetish’s father Anoop Sinha, who works in the Opto Electronics Factory at Dehradun, was down with Covid-19 since April last week. At the same time, Neetish, who was serving in the Covid-19 ward here in GMCH, got infected. Despite consulting local doctors and getting continuous advice from Neetish, his father’s condition deteriorated.
“His SPO2 level was between 30-40% and many private hospitals in Dehradun denied admission to him. My younger brother and mother had no option but to keep him at home and pray for his health,” Dr Neetish recalled. At the same time, he was waiting desperately to become Covid-free so that he could travel to Dehradun. Finally, Neetish got the RT-PCR negative report on May 1 and immediately booked a flight.
“Our senior colleagues from GMCH and Maharashtra Association of Resident Doctors (MARD) members booked a flight for me. While I was flying home, they continuously kept in touch with my family and the local authorities to get a bed for Papa,” said Neetish, who finally got a bed at the hospital. His request to serve in Covid ward and assist the team of doctors was also accepted by nodal officer Dr Dhawal Gotecha there.
“Due to this, it became easy for me to look after my father. I also got an opportunity to help doctors there in treating many serious patients,” said Dr Neetish.
According to him, Covid conditions in Uttarakhand worsened after the Kumbh Mela and hospitals are overburdened now. “My experience of working in such a tense situation in Nagpur proved handy and we could save many serious patients,” he said.
He said many patients, less critical than his father, died in the Covid ward as they were missing their loved ones and feeling lonely.
Dr Gotecha appreciated him for his services in these testing times. Dr Neetish’s father recovered from Covid and got discharge a day before. He is at home now, resting and recovering from weakness. “I have decided to stay here for some more time. I feel this hospital needs my services,” Dr Neetish added.
Heroes within
GMCH | Allowed Dr Neetish a long leave to travel to Uttarankhand for his father’s treatment
MARD | Resident doctors booked a flight tickets for him, kept in touch with authorities in Dehradun
Doon hospital | Allowed Dr Neetish to work in Covid ward where his father was under treatment
Dr Neetish Sinha | Treated many other patients while looking after his critically ill father; decided to stay long in Dehradun to serve patients