Doc lives in centre to care for patients

BADLAPUR: For the past six months, Mohhamed Fahim Nakade, a 32-year-old doctor from Panvel, has not met his family as he is staying at a Covid healthcare centre in Badlapur to care for Covid patients. All his duty hours and free time is spend with the patients, and seeing his dedication, various other doctors have joined him at Gauri Hall ICU Covid-19 Centre in Badlapur.

The humble doctor, an intensivist, is too shy to speak of his dedication and instead claimed, “I am merely performing my duty as a doctor. This recent wave is difficult for everyone, and all of us need to do whatever we can to help people. I am also trying to tell people not to delay treatment and ignore even a single symptom.”

Nakade is the doctor in charge of the intensive care unit (ICU) of the hospital and has increased ICU beds from 30 to 50 for the second wave and also managed to add a few more for emergency.

He works over 22 hours a day and at times even the entire 24 hours without a wink of sleep, said his colleagues. His family includes parents and his three brothers.

More than 250 patients have been discharged from this centre in the past four months.

Dr Pooja Ghodwinde, his colleague, said, “We have joined this centre in September, and since then Nakade has never been to his house in Panvel. He increased the ICU beds to accommodate more patients. However, these days none of the beds are vacant. He not only treats the patient but also feeds them if anyone is in need to be fed. His level of dedication is completely difficult to attain.”

Godwinde who stays at Titwala visits her house once in a month.

Jaideep Shivre, 65, a senior citizen admitted there, said, “I was admitted in this centre in March. All my family members were tensed as I am diabetic and a heart patient. For the 15 days I was admitted there, I haven’t seen Dr Nakade rest. He will perform the work assigned to someone else without minding it. I have seen him cleaning urine and stool of patients, feeding them.”

He added, “He gave me so much positive energy and shared positive thoughts when I was feeling low. I am really thankful to him that I am fine because of his continued care, day and night.”

All of us need to do whatever we can to help people DR MOHHAMED FAHIM NAKADE