My experience of sweeping & cleaning the COVID Ward at SMCH, writes Dr. Debashish Sharma

July 24: Through your esteemed website way2barak, I wrote yesterday an open letter to the authorities of Silchar Medical College regarding its unhygienic environment. I am totally shocked with the pathetic unhygienic conditions of the Covid wards at Silchar Medical College. I and my wife Moon Mallick tested positive for Corona virus on 21st July 2020 and are undergoing treatment at Opthalmology ward of SMC.

Today, I would like to pen down my experience of conducting “Swaccha Bharat Abhiyaan” at the Covid ward in Ophthalmology department of Silchar Medical College & Hospital (SMCH) with my co-patients. We have been staying in the ward since 21 July 2020 and since then the room hasn’t been cleaned even a single time. Lucky Goala, a lady from Dwarbond (in Cachar) who is pregnant with her third child, is also admitted in the same room with us. She was very weak and had to be given two units of blood yesterday. There are no family members with her as they haven’t been found positive. In the morning, I saw that a lot of blood had spilled down accidentally on the floor at night. A health worker, most probably a doctor, gently asked her to wipe the floor with water if possible and left the place.

I was shocked to hear this and had no words to say. Immediately, I made up my mind to clean the floor myself. I saw two cleaning mops nearby and started cleaning the room. My co-patients too joined in the Swaccha Bharat Abhiyaan. I should definitely name them.  One of them is Mr. Jalal Uddin who is a prisoner in the 12th year of his imprisonment because of murder. The other is Mr. Ram Lal Nunia, an employee of SMCH and another is Mr. Nurul Alam, a welding worker. All of them really helped me a lot.

The room as well as the toilets are now excellently clean. It’s really a wonderful experience to stay with people from such diverse backgrounds and work together for a common cause. Truly, I have never experienced such a bliss ! I have uploaded a short video of the cleaning process shot by my friend and co-patient Amrita Nath. I wish from my heart that the SMCH authorities too should respond to the call of “Swaccha Bharat Abhiyaan” of our Prime Minister and maintain the cleanliness of this health institution.