A 55-year-old vendor says that he might not be able to work again after battling and surviving COVID-19 even as he spoke out on the food served to patients at the country’s Infectious Diseases Hospital at Liliendaal.
Deo Persaud of Lusignan, East Coast Demerara revealed to Stabroek News that he was diagnosed with the dreaded virus in March of this year and was subsequently admitted to the hospital where he spent weeks on his road to recovery.
The push-cart vendor stated that prior to being admitted to the facility he went to the hospital after feeling ill and thought that it was the flu. He started to feel a bit better after taking some medication.
“By the Wednesday it ease off so I went back to go and sell the following Sunday and I sell the Sunday and Monday I went back and sell but by time I done sell the afternoon I couldn’t mek it to push the cart and come home”, he said.
When he finally made it home, he added that he had a horrible fever and felt extremely weak and as such got a taxi to take him to the hospital as his family members were unable to get an ambulance. Upon arrival at the Georgetown Public Hospital, he noted that he was swab-tested and even had a rapid test done and was told that he was positive for the novel coronavirus.
Persaud mentioned that he was admitted a patient at the GPH on March 21st and was subsequently transferred to the Infectious Diseases facility at Liliendaal the following day. “Well for couple days I lie down in bed and couldn’t ah move, couple days well and food when the food come do or die”, the man said.
To this end he went on to add that while his experience with the doctors and other staff and the treatment was great, the food at the facility was horrible. The 55-year-old noted that they would say that patients are unable to taste the food as they might have lost their sense of taste and smell due to the virus.
“Sometimes the food box come with a ice apple in it, I think about two or three times ice apple come in the box and when you eat the ice apple you get taste from the ice apple. So why if this food had proper taste why won’t you get something from the food,” Persaud asked.
The man further stated that food at the facility arrived late and was most times cold and as he emphasized on the taste of the food he added that he and other patients would be able to taste the juices that sometimes came with the food.
He told Stabroek News, “This hospital at Liliendaal, it got a big place in the compound deh they could make a kitchen there and hire somebody to do de cooking and get people hot food, hot water or hot tea and many lives would be saved there.”
When Stabroek News contacted GPHC’s Communications Manager, Chelauna Providence about the issues raised by Persaud at the Liliendaal facility, she related to this newspaper that they had previously received complaints about the food at the facility.
However, Providence said that the meals which are prepared by outside contractors are made with guidance from nutritionists and doctors depending on the underlying conditions that those patients may have. “There are two companies that deal with food who are contracted to prepare food for the hospital”, she said. Those meals are reportedly prepared offsite.
She added that while there have been some complaints, the reviews of the meals by patients have been mixed and as with everything some persons may like it and others may not. The Communications Manager mentioned that doctors in charge also monitor to ensure that when the food arrives it follows the dietary plan for those patients.
Meanwhile, Persaud told this newspaper that he was happy to be discharged from the facility on April 3rd after being cleared. He related that later he had to be admitted to GPH to be on oxygen and saline due to the damage that the virus did to his lungs.
“My lungs damage. They say it damage bad and they find a disease they call fibrosis in both lungs so they tell me now I might not able to work for the rest of the life that I live”, Persaud said, while adding that he was told that if he tries to push himself he could possibly collapse and pass away.
He went on to mention that he is not able to walk fast and now does not have the strength to work as he did in the past. (Shamar Meusa)