Doctor's emotional post over corona suspect giving birth goes viral

An emotional Facebook post of a Chattogram doctor concerning a suspected coronavirus patient giving birth to a child in a dramatically dire situation has gone viral.

The woman, who is from Kanchan Nagar in Fatikchhari upazila, was first taken to Chattogram Medical College Hospital on Monday morning. But the hospital did not admit her because she showed symptoms of coronavirus. So she was sent to Chattogram General Hospital which has been assigned for COVID-19 treatment.

"It's six o'clock in the morning. A senior colleague called and told me that a pregnant woman has been sent from Chattogram Medical College Hospital. The patient has had a fever and cough for four days. Feeling extremely lost, I somehow managed to pack my bag and ran to the hospital," Dr Jahanara Shikha, who performed the surgery, wrote in her post.

She wrote that the condition of the patient was not good and there was no doctor to assist in the surgery. She performed the surgery with the help of the nurse.

"I thought the baby would come out in a very bad condition. But it came out and cried out loudly, 'Thank you! I am fine'. By then, I could not differentiate the sweat accumulated under the PPE from my tears," the post reads. "Both the baby and the mother are fine now."

Dr Jahanara Shikha said, "We get scared too. We don't fear for ourselves, but for our children. Who else do our children have in the world except us mothers? I could not even say 'bye' to my kids before leaving for the hospital to serve the patients."

Dr Jamal Mostafa, resident physician and corona treatment focal person of Chattogram General Hospital, told The Business Standard, "The 19-year-old woman who gave birth to the child is now healthy. Her samples have been collected. The results have not come out yet. The woman is currently undergoing treatment at the hospital."