Ggm: Amid a week-long wait for Covid results, Hajipur villagers dying at home

Gurugram: As urban areas of the city start reporting fewer new Covid infections, rural Gurugram — not very far from the city centre but completely cut-off from urban infrastructure — is grappling with the rapid spread of the virus as scores die without ever knowing they could have the virus.

In Farrukh Nagar's Hajipur village, home to around 9,000 people, over 40 people have tested positive in the last 3 days in a Rapid Antigen Testing drive conducted by local authorities and with no primary health care centres, clinics, or hospitals, over 150 active patients are struggling to recover in home isolation.

In the last month, over 15 deaths from illness have been reported in Hajipur village, with those managing a trip to a city hospital finding a way to survive and those not dying.

Many of the village elders say that the sudden cause of death in their village is due to COVID-19. Just last week there were three deaths reported from the village that included one 50-year-old woman and two men aged 34 and 40.

Among the dead Sunita (50) had begun developing symptoms of cough and fever. Her condition however deteriorated during the fifth day as the family was forced to admit her to Gurugram private hospital. She succumbed to the virus on May 11, before her test results were back.

In fact, a lack of testing facilities nearby has resulted in none of the patients who died being tested. For getting tested, a resident has to travel at least 20 kilometres to Gurugram city and then wait for at least a week for the results.

While residents of the village highlight that in earlier cases, they were dealing with the pandemic by taking early medications and through home remedies, this time the situation is difficult to cope with.

"Shortage of oxygen, ambulances, hospitals nearby are now taking a toll on us and many of us are also losing lives. It is not only the old but this time even the young are getting ill and are losing their lives. The government help is now coming in but it is still inadequate and is also restricted to certain residents. Arrangement of oxygen cylinders and ambulance services has still not been done", said Dharampal, the village head in Hajipur.

The Gurugram District Administration has started to build a 25-bed isolation centre in the village but that is yet to be completed and faces a lack of medical equipment. The village head said they had sought three big oxygen cylinders for the centre and that aid is yet to come.

"It would have been useful if primary health care centres and testing facilities could have been created last year. This would have saved precious time for patients and their families and they would not have had to depend on going to Gurugram. Today, we are facing consequences of lack of preparation", said Ravinder, one of Hajipur's residents.