(Trinidad Express) In a soft, almost inaudible voice, 93-year-old Covid-19 positive patient, Chuchun Dabedial, spoke to his relatives on the telephone from his Intensive Care Unit (ICU) bed at the Couva Medical and Multi-Training Facility on Monday night.
He said, “I want to come home.”
But his oxygen saturation had dropped to a dangerously low level and Dabedial was fighting to breathe, said his grand son-in-law, Opposition Member of Parliament for Cumuto/Manzanilla, Dr Rai Ragbir.
The great grandfather lost his battle with Covid-19 at 3am on Tuesday. He was among the six deaths reported by the Ministry of Health later that day.
The last time relatives would have seen Dabedial was 21 days before his death, when he visited the San Fernando General Hospital. The elderly man had complained of feeling unwell and was administered the Covid-19 coronavirus test.
His test returned positive, Ragbir said, and Dabedial was transferred to the Couva Medical and Multi-Training Facility, where he remained for 21 days, until his passing.
“This was a healthy 93-year-old man. He was very active and took care of himself. He had no symptoms of Covid-19 and the family is uncertain where he would have contracted the virus. He complained of feeling unwell, that is all. And he was taken for testing as a precaution,” Ragbir said.
Ragbir said family members have since been tested but no one returned with a positive result.
“He does have relatives who are mobile and research does indicate that one in three people who are Covid-19 positive have no symptoms and can be healthy carriers,” he said.
Ragbir said his family was thankful to the medical practitioners at the Couva Medical and Multi-Training Facility. “We want to applaud front line workers who continue to work tirelessly,” he said.
Dabedial was allowed to speak to his relatives daily, Ragbir said, but the changes in his voice indicated that his health was deteriorating.
“He would be able to speak to his family every day. But as the virus progressed and his condition deteriorated he found it difficult to speak. He couldn’t breathe and it was painful to listen to him on the phone. I couldn’t believe that this was happening to my family. His oxygen saturation kept dropping and the last two days were difficult for everyone. We knew he was struggling,” he said.
Dabedial’s last words to his family were, “I want to come home now”.
The body will not be returned to Dabedial’s family.
The last time immediate family members would be allowed to view the body of someone who has passed away from the Covid-19 will be at the funeral home before it is disposed of by fire, the Express was told.
The body will be cremated at the State’s expense and the ashes handed over to the relatives.
Ragbir said, “The State has things in place to dispose of the body. But I understand the immediate family can be allowed to view the body at the funeral home under strict Covid protocols.”
In March last year, the Ministry of Health published guidelines titled: “Recommendations and Guidelines for Hospital Staff and Funeral Agencies in the context of Covid-19” outlining the proper procedure for the viewing of the body of a Covid-19 victim.
It stated that the deceased body should be moved to the viewing area using the recommended transfer and handling protocols. No more than two staff members with PPE should be used for this purpose to limit exposure.
The family will not come into contact with the body, absolutely no touching.
The body bag would only be opened by an attendant while still wearing PPE. It would be opened so that only the face is exposed. This is the last time family members will see their loved one.
Ragbir, who was among the Opposition MPs to receive the first dose of the AstraZeneca Covid-19 vaccine last month, said he has been having community consultations on the advantages of the vaccine.
