Housing society converts two bungalows into COVID care centres
The idea is to facilitate asymptomatic patients from the housing society stay near their homes and family members and remain stress-free while undergoing treatment, its resident Shailesh Kasliwal told .
After a resident of the 'Blue Bell' housing society, comprising 200 houses in Chikalthana area, tested positive for coronavirus about 15 days back and the health staff reached there to take him to hospital, the society members decided to set up a COVID care centre for the asymptomatic patients.
"The society has spent its funds proposed for the Ganpati festival this year along with some remaining funds of last year," Kasliwal said.
He said one of the society members tested positive for coronavirus about a fortnight back following which local health teams and administrative personnel came to the premises to take him to hospital.
"It was a tense moment for the entire society. All of us, from children to elderly people, were stressed seeing the situation. This gave us the idea to set up a COVID care centre to treat asymptomatic patients from our society," he said.
The housing society then formed a five-member committee to implement the idea.
"We have two empty bungalows and we set up the facility there. We decided to celebrate Ganeshotsav this year in a simple manner and spend the entire fund proposed for the festival on this COVID care facility," said Kasliwal, who is a member of the committee.
The two COVID care facilities set up in the society have separate rooms for doctors, and also has a family ward and a ward for children, he said.
Some doctors from the society who were working in other COVID care hospitals guided residents on how to set up the facility.
The two COVID care centres are equipped with all necessary items, from toothpaste to slippers, as well as medicines and oxygen cylinders if needed, Kasliwal said.
"We have also appointed two nurses at the facilities...the COVID care centre in our own premises has helped residents shun the fear of the disease," he said.
If anyone from the society tests positive for the disease and is asymptomatic, he or she can be lodged at the facility which is near their homes. The patient will also be able to get food and other requirements fulfilled from his/her home or with the help of neighbours, he said.
"We have also set up a kitchen for the COVID care centre for which residents provided a refrigerator, an oven, and a cooking gas," he said.
Kasliwal said their corporator Raju Shinde also asked the local health teams to help the society in guiding about all the essential requirements at the two facilities.
Another society resident Preeti Zanwar said she was initially scared after a person, who resided just five to six houses away from hers, tested positive for coronavirus.
"But, with the COVID care facility now being there in our society, the stress and tension has gone. If anyone suffers from COVID-19 here, the person will at least be near to his/her family," she said.
Aurangabad Municipal Corporation's health officer Dr Neeta Padalkar lauded the initiative.
"This is a good initiative by the housing society. Now we need to sit and check the availability of staff to run the centre, if it is needed. I have told the team in that area to co-ordinate with the society and check the hurdles," she said. AW GK GK