Covid patients cry foul over 'bad food' in Nellore

Nellore: Anganwadi centres and welfare hostels are better than Covid-19 isolation ward in the Government General Hospital in Nellore whose condition is said to be awful. Initially, the infected persons in the quarantine centres were provided nutritious food with all varieties of quality food with the provisions of healthy environs. This was when the number of patients were manageable.

Now, the number of positive cases has increased to more than 600, and the focus on the wellbeing of the patients has been thrown to the winds disregarding directions of the Government. Patients are complaining about tasteless and semi-cooked food and lack of proper sanitation in the wards. Even though there are many complaints against the contractor who supplies food at Rs 340 per head, there has been no action. The Government General Hospital attached to the Government Medical College has initially been converted as the District Covid Centre and subsequently upgraded it as State Covid Centre. At the time of the first case reported who visited Italy for higher education, the situation was different with good treatment, nutritious food, fruits, nuts and many other ayurvedic supplements for the quick recovery of the patients.

Now, patients who join this centre are screaming for properly cooked food and clean drinking water. The State Government has been saying a budget of Rs 500 is being allocated to each Covid-19 patients per day for their meals and other facilities. But they are experiencing a miserable life with semi-cooked rice, highly diluted sambar and water-like rasam. Patients are at the mercy of the contractor.

"Quality we are not expecting. They should at least cook rice for proper digestion. Most of the times I skip taking rice during night time. They serve buttermilk which is having only 5-10 pc curd in it. How a Covid patient recovers consuming this kind of unhygienic, and substandard food living in infected environs. We can get a decent food with the amount," said a patient maintaining anonymity.

Joining the Government facility finally seems to be a suicidal attempt, he rued. Now, there are more than 200 people in the isolation ward.

In fact, the contractor has to serve nutritious food like eggs, chicken, banana, and other fruits, along with regular meals. They are not maintaining quality and hygiene in supplying food to the infected patients that sometimes become fatal due to other infections, say medical experts.

Patients have been sending WhatsApp messages to their kith and kin on their appalling conditions at the Isolation ward. When contacted, a senior official said that they had asked the hospital authorities to change the contractor and the food inspector is to be deputed to check the quality of food being supplied to the patients.