Combating coronavirus: Inside Warsan Healthcare Centre for Covid-19 patients in UAE

Dubai - Khaleej Times was given access to the facility, where at least four Covid-19 survivors were discharged after two consecutive negative tests.

The UAE's Emirati Covid-19 warriors, including Mohammad Matar, director of the Warsan Hospitality and Healthcare Centre for coronavirus patients, have not seen their families for the past 25 days.
Though it comes at a great personal sacrifice and there are several challenges while working on the frontlines battling the pandemic, Matar and his team believe nothing feels greater than serving the nation.
Matar, one of the Covid-19 warriors who has taken up residency at the facility, said: "My team and I have spent 25 days away from our families. It is difficult, there are no breaks. My team and I just completed 17 hours (on Wednesday), and we do this seven days a week, but when it comes to serving our country, we are proud to serve. Any time, any day."
The Warsan Hospitality and Healthcare Centre is an all-male, 26-building welfare and medical facility set up exclusively for Dubai's working class. Khaleej Times was given access to the facility on Wednesday, where at least four Covid-19 survivors were discharged after two consecutive negative tests.

'DHA gives us strength'
Commenting on the service they received at the centre, the men said though they were terrified at the beginning, the personal touch, positivity and care provided at the facility gave them the confidence that they would recover soon.
One such patient, Abdul Fathah, a 28-year-old Indian, said: "When I tested positive, I'd given everything up to God. However, I have been cured now, and once I complete the 14-day mandatory quarantine, I want to serve by participating in volunteer efforts.
Fathah said the tireless efforts of the Dubai Health Authority (DHA), volunteers and the entire medical team gave him the strength to recover. The centre provides free treatment, WiFi, entertainment, and counselling. "I did not feel like I was away from home," he added.
"A mobile nurse station has been set up under every building, where workers can call a nurse for anything they need at any time of the day," said Manjusha CN, a DHA nurse stationed at building 12 at the facility. Mother to a small child, Manjusha has been undergoing a thorough cleaning process, at least twice, before heading home to her family.

Warsan facility work
According to Matar, the facility, which houses predominantly blue-collared workers who are either asymptomatic or show very mild symptoms, opened its door for patients on March 26. There are at least eight buildings for isolation and two for quarantine, where individuals who have come in contact with positive patients are accommodated.
Once Covid-19 tests are completed, data about the individuals are sent to the Common Covid-19 Command Centre in Dubai following which, based on their symptoms, their data is sent to an operating centre. Depending on the case, the patient is then assigned to Warsan.
Once the patient steps into Warsan, they enter the initial triage room where their vital statistics are taken. Necessary scans, temperature checks, blood tests are completed, following which, they are sent to their rooms. Each room has two patients each, and the windows are sealed creating a negative pressure environment. A large team of DHA and volunteer doctors and nurses check on patients several times a day, and their data is fed into a centralised system. Several ambulances are on stand-by to take patients to an emergency room in hospitals nearby.
Matar explained: "The UAE gives equal service and healthcare to everyone. From the time the patients are admitted, we are giving them medical care, entertainment and food. We do this until the patient recovers and leaves the facility with happiness and joy."

All male-facility
Matar said the Warsan centre is strictly an all-male facility and so far, it has treated only one family who was discharged in the earlier days of setting up the centre. Currently, the welfare facility has 26 buildings and can grow at a need-basis
"The patient is not allowed outside. Even windows are sealed shut. However, as per the new protocols, the patient is released from the facility after two tests come negative," said Matar.


Average recovery time
The average recovery time of the patients at Warsan is anything from 8 to 15 days, and depending on the case, sometimes 21 to 30 days. "However, since they've started taking appropriate medication, patients are being discharged in eight to nine days," he said.
"Even once the patients are discharged, he has to undergo mandatory 14-day home quarantine, where patients are checked upon at least two times a day via phone and mobile apps," added Matar.
dhanusha@khaleejtimes.com