Covid-positive UAE nurse gives birth while in ICU

Ajman - Priyanka was hospitalised and had to be placed on a ventilator for two weeks.

A pregnant nurse in Ajman was only a few weeks away from delivering her baby - when she was diagnosed with Covid-19. Her situation quickly turned complicated that she had to give birth while she was in the ICU.
As she recalled her fight against Covid-19 as a frontline superhero and survivor, nurse Priyanka of Thumbay Hospital Ajman just couldn't help but feel grateful. She and her baby are now doing fine. She has fully recovered from the virus and her newborn was not affected in any way.  
"I had been working here at the hospital when I started experiencing shortness of breath and fever, following which I was tested positive for Covid-19," she shared.
Priyanka was hospitalised and had to be placed on a ventilator for two weeks. "What made my situation complicated was that I was in the 33rd week of pregnancy. As soon as my situation got worse and I was shifted to the ICU, doctors decided that the best course of action would be to perform a C-section and rescue my unborn baby. This proved to be a brilliant decision."

Her baby girl, though unaffected by the infection, had to spend a month at the hospital's NICU as Priyanka fought the virus. Her husband Sumesh had to take a month off work as he prayed day and night and shuffled from his wife's hospital bed to his daughter's NICU bassinet.

"In the end, thanks to the prayers of all our relatives and friends, Priyanka started showing steady improvement and eventually tested negative," said Sumesh. It took Priyanka 40 days before she got to she her baby and, at that time, it was an emotional reunion. The couple have named her 'Prarthana', which means 'prayer' in their mother-tongue Malayalam, as a mark of gratitude for all the prayers and support they received.

Priyanka said she is eager to return to work at Thumbay Hospital Ajman after completing the few months of rest she has been advised. She is flying to her hometown in Kerala, India, next week.

As recognition of Priyanka's services as a Covid-19 frontliner, Thumbay Group waived all her hospital charges, including the newborn's NICU charges.

"We cannot thank the management of Thumbay Group enough, for this magnanimous gesture. This was in addition to the exceptional treatment and care both the mother and the child were given at Thumbay Hospital," Sumesh said.

The hospital recently organised a special function to honour Priyanka and officially bid farewell to its last Covid-19 patient.
Hospital discharges last Covid patient

Early Eid celebrations began at a hospital in Ajman that discharged its last Covid-19 patient and finally closed down its Covid wing at an official ceremony on Wednesday.

Thumbay Hospital Ajman organised a special function to officially bid farewell to Indian expatriate Shamzeer, their last Covid-19 patient.

Recounting his experience at the hospital, Shamzeer, who hails from Kerala, India, said it was the hospital staff's dedication, compassion and support that helped him recuperate from the disease.

"The hospital staff supported me not only with medicines and treatment, but also with constant encouragement to ensure my emotional well-being, which I believe was crucial to my speedy recovery," he said.

Among those present at the event were Dr Mohammad Faisal, COO of THA; Dr Manvir Singh Walia, COO of Thumbay University Hospital; and other members of the medical, administrative and support staff.

• Ajman