Ambala’s 1st patient discharged, seeks action on rumour-mongers

Cured after an 18-day battle with Covid-19, Gurpreet Singh (21) was discharged amid a round of applause from the civil hospital staff here on Monday.

Leaving the premises with a smile, Gurpreet, who was the district’s first positive case, said, “I feel relaxed now. I thank the medical staff and everyone else involved in my treatment. The atmosphere in the isolation ward was friendly and positive.”

Chief medical officer Dr Kuldeep Singh said, “Every patient who is cured is like a feat for us. On Monday, a 65-year-old Jamaat worker was discharged and today it was Gurpreet. With the recovery of these two, now five Covid-19 patients remain under treatment in hospitals in Ambala.”

Gurpreet has been advised to remain at home and maintain social distancing with the family members.

Talking about his experience at the hospital, he said, “I had my smartphone, so there was no chance to feel bored. I always kept in touch with my family and they kept boosting my morale. However, I noticed a lot of false information being spread on social media. There was a post with my photos claiming that I’m extremely ill. This had worried my relatives. Someone had shared my test reports on the web with my phone number, so I even got random calls.” He added that action should be taken against those spreading false information.

Principal medical officer Dr Poonam Jain said, “The hospital staff was always there for Gurpreet. He was anxious at first, but eventually calmed down as he received proper care and treatment. After his samples tested negative twice, he was discharged.”