+ A
A -
CATHERINE W GICHUKI
doha
A specialist paediatric surgeon at Hamad Medical Corporation (HMC), who recently recovered from coronavirus (COVID-19), has praised the Government of Qatar and the country’s healthcare system for the excellent care he received.
Dr Muthana al Salihi, an Iraqi national who has been working at HMC for the past 15 years and is a paediatric surgeon at Sidra Medicine, told Qatar Tribune: “I received the best care possible, which one may not receive even in one’s own country. I am grateful to the government, the Ministry of Public Health (MoPH), and the COVID-19 heroes including doctors, nurses and other staff who played a key role in my recovery from the infection. They provided me with psychological support to ease my stress.”
He also praised Qatar’s efforts towards contact tracing.
Narrating his journey, Dr Salihi said that on April 12, he had cold-like symptoms such as back pain and sore throat. Three days later he lost his smell and taste sensations totally after which he feared he might have contracted the virus. He consulted his colleagues, who are specialists in infectious diseases. Meanwhile, he also developed dry cough and chest pain.
He added: “They arranged for my visit to the HMC’s Communicable Disease Center (CDC) where my history and swab were taken. On April 19, an official from the MoPH called to inform me that my test had come out positive and also inquired about who I lived with.”
He was asked to isolate himself from the family, and all the people he had come into contact with, were traced and tested, although none of them tested positive for COVID-19.
The investigations at CDC revealed that he had pneumonia. “My condition was moderate. My treatment started the same night and I was given antibiotics as well as antiviral and antimalarial drugs. The nursing staff regularly monitored my condition, especially the oxygen saturation. After five days my condition started to improve.”
The medicines he was given in course of the treatment included azithromycin, ceftriaxone, hydroxy chloroquine, tamiflu and kaletra.
Dr Salihi said that according to the protocol, the swab was taken twice on the seventh day and both times it was negative. “If you have two negative swabs in a 24-hour gap, it means you are cured.”
Dr Salihi stayed in the hospital for nine days and was subsequently discharged with medication for another few days. “I was asked to isolate myself for another 14 days and I did exactly the same.”
According to him, a week after his quarantine, he was cured as he didn’t have any more symptoms.
Luckily, both his family members and co-workers tested negative for COVID-19.
Dr Salihi said he still had no idea where he got the virus from as he was not in direct contract with any patient who knew that he/she was infected. “I call it a ‘tricky virus’ because you don’t know where you get it from. Eighty percent of people are asymptomatic, or have very mild symptoms. You also don’t know which pathway the disease will take -- mild, moderate or severe.”
Dr Salihi advised people to follow the precautionary measures announced by the government. “My message to the public is that they should not be worried and at the same time should not underestimate the virus. We should follow the government and the MoPH guidelines like wearing face masks, maintaining social distancing, and staying home as much as we can.”
doha
A specialist paediatric surgeon at Hamad Medical Corporation (HMC), who recently recovered from coronavirus (COVID-19), has praised the Government of Qatar and the country’s healthcare system for the excellent care he received.
Dr Muthana al Salihi, an Iraqi national who has been working at HMC for the past 15 years and is a paediatric surgeon at Sidra Medicine, told Qatar Tribune: “I received the best care possible, which one may not receive even in one’s own country. I am grateful to the government, the Ministry of Public Health (MoPH), and the COVID-19 heroes including doctors, nurses and other staff who played a key role in my recovery from the infection. They provided me with psychological support to ease my stress.”
He also praised Qatar’s efforts towards contact tracing.
Narrating his journey, Dr Salihi said that on April 12, he had cold-like symptoms such as back pain and sore throat. Three days later he lost his smell and taste sensations totally after which he feared he might have contracted the virus. He consulted his colleagues, who are specialists in infectious diseases. Meanwhile, he also developed dry cough and chest pain.
He added: “They arranged for my visit to the HMC’s Communicable Disease Center (CDC) where my history and swab were taken. On April 19, an official from the MoPH called to inform me that my test had come out positive and also inquired about who I lived with.”
He was asked to isolate himself from the family, and all the people he had come into contact with, were traced and tested, although none of them tested positive for COVID-19.
The investigations at CDC revealed that he had pneumonia. “My condition was moderate. My treatment started the same night and I was given antibiotics as well as antiviral and antimalarial drugs. The nursing staff regularly monitored my condition, especially the oxygen saturation. After five days my condition started to improve.”
The medicines he was given in course of the treatment included azithromycin, ceftriaxone, hydroxy chloroquine, tamiflu and kaletra.
Dr Salihi said that according to the protocol, the swab was taken twice on the seventh day and both times it was negative. “If you have two negative swabs in a 24-hour gap, it means you are cured.”
Dr Salihi stayed in the hospital for nine days and was subsequently discharged with medication for another few days. “I was asked to isolate myself for another 14 days and I did exactly the same.”
According to him, a week after his quarantine, he was cured as he didn’t have any more symptoms.
Luckily, both his family members and co-workers tested negative for COVID-19.
Dr Salihi said he still had no idea where he got the virus from as he was not in direct contract with any patient who knew that he/she was infected. “I call it a ‘tricky virus’ because you don’t know where you get it from. Eighty percent of people are asymptomatic, or have very mild symptoms. You also don’t know which pathway the disease will take -- mild, moderate or severe.”
Dr Salihi advised people to follow the precautionary measures announced by the government. “My message to the public is that they should not be worried and at the same time should not underestimate the virus. We should follow the government and the MoPH guidelines like wearing face masks, maintaining social distancing, and staying home as much as we can.”
