Physician recovers from COVID-19, back to patients
Asiful Haque, medical officer of Banshkhali upazila complex in Chattogram, contracted coronavirus while carrying out his duties. However, he kept up his morale, recovered and has resumed work with his patients.
Asiful got fever on 10 April and submitted his fluid samples for testing at Bangladesh Institute of Tropical and Infectious Diseases (BITID) in Chattogram. On 14 April, he received the test result.
Testing positive, he got admitted on the isolation unit of Chittagong General Hospital where, later, he developed other symptoms of the disease. Finally, he recovered and was released from the hospital on 24 April. He followed a 14-day home quarantine after that.
Finally, he joined work on 10 May.
On Sunday morning, Asiful was found treating patients at the emergency department of the hospital wearing PPE. He was advising the patients to wash their hands frequently with soap and not to touch their facesl.
Asif says it is important not to lose one's spirit after contracting COVID-19. He says, panic will further harm a patient. He emphasises eating food enriched with Vitamin C and fruits, and exercising regularly. This is all the more important for the elderly, he said.
“When an infected person recovers, antibodies grow in his body naturally. So there’s little chance to be affected again. Despite that, I’m being cautious while on duty, “says the physician.
“Naturally, as a government physician I had to join work. Let others be encouraged from me. We must win the fight against coronavirus,” he says.
Asiful was a student of the 52nd batch of Chittagong Medical College MBBS. Banshkhali health complex is his first office since he was recruited through 39th BCS (Bangladesh Civil Service). He joined there in 2019.
“On behalf of an organisation, I went to deliver food to three homes put on lockdown in Banshkhali. It’s no crime to be infected by corona. We must come forward and support those who are infected.” he says.
Asif says it is important not to lose one's spirit after contracting COVID-19. He says, panic will further harm a patient. He emphasises eating food enriched with Vitamin C and fruits, and exercising regularly. This is all the more important for the elderly, he said.
So far, Banshkhali reported four coronavirus patients among whom three are under treatment.