PGIMS staff give warm sendoff to Gurugram widow, Nepalese boy

Sunit Dhawan

Tribune News Service

Rohtak, May 24

Two patients from Gurugram — 29-year-old widow Ishrat Khatoon and 15-year-old Sanju of Nepalese origin — were given a warm sendoff by the University of Health Sciences (UHS)/PGIMS authorities after they were cured of COVID-19 and discharged from the institute on Sunday.

The UHS Vice Chancellor, Prof OP Kalra, handed over a cheque of Rs 1.51 lakh to Ishrat and a cheque of Rs 15,000 to Sanju. The said amount was collected by way of donations by Dr Varun Arora, in charge of COVID Control Room at the PGIMS.

Ishrat, who works as a cooking-maid in Gurugram, recently lost her husband Mohammed Raza, who had also tested positive for COVID-19 and underwent treatment at the PGIMS. Ishrat’s father and three daughters had also tested positive for COVID and were quarantined in Gurugram at present.

The Nepalese boy, Sanju, used to assist his uncle Durga at his food-stall in Gurugram. Durga had tested positive for COVID-19 and was referred to Rohtak PGIMS. Sanju, who accompanied him to Rohtak, had also tested positive and remained admitted at the isolation ward.

Both Ishrat and Sanju tested negative for COVID-19 and were discharged from the PGIMS on Sunday. They left the institute with moist eyes and expressed gratitude towards the doctors and the hospital staff.

“It’s so overwhelming…the doctors, nurses and other staff members of the PGIMS took good care of us and also arranged money so that I am able to look after my daughters without my husband,” said Ishrat.