More than three months ago, former Union minister and former Gujarat Congress president Bharatsinh Solanki lost Rajya election as the party could not muster enough strength. The 66-year-old leader, son of former Gujarat chief minister and Congress stalwart Madhavsinh Solanki, did not even have time to introspect his defeat.
Life had thrown the most difficult challenge he could have ever imagined. He tested COVID-19 positive.
Except for fever for a couple of days, Solanki was presumed to be asymptomatic otherwise, and he actually walked into a private hospital in Vadodara.
His well-wishers were wrong that he would be out of the hospital soon. His health deteriorated in about a week’s time and he had to be shifted to Ahmedabad’s Care Institute of Medical Sciences.
His fight with life and death had just begun. On Thursday, as he walked out of the hospital after 101 days of hospitalization, including 51 days on ventilator, it was a sigh of relief for him, his family members, well-wishers and a moment of pride for the Hospital.
“I know I did not pick up calls of many. But what do I answer? I am okay? But that was not the case and the time had not come to say I am fine,” he told media persons in a hoarse voice. Not only his voice, but in the treatment of COVID-19 and the roller coaster ride he had with his health, all a lot changed. He suffered from kidney issues and neurological issues among several other problems.
At the CIMS, he was on non-invasive ventilator for a week and that was followed by 44 days of invasive ventilation.
Things were not easy. Due to his comorbid condition, the treatment had to be done carefully. Ten doses of Remdesvir injections were given. He also required repeated dosage of Tocilizumab injections. Solanki was also administered convalescent plasma therapy.
Doctors in Chennai, New Delhi and the US were consulted and a team of senior doctors at the Hospital monitored his health.
He had to be also put on elective ventilation and ECMO was kept on a stand by, in case of need.
The Congress leader also developed flaccid areflexic quadriparesis (paralysis) and was given extensive physiotherapy.
In one of the pictures that got leaked during his long treatment, he looked very frail. There were even rumours that he had passed away.
According to the hospital, Solanki is the longest COVID-19 surviving patient in India. Chairman and founder of the Hospital, Dr Keyur Parikh, told THE WEEK that at no point of time his team had given up the hope.
Dr Parikh, however, admitted that at a personal level he did feel worried and anxious on many occasions, especially after hearing the news of the death of the Union Minister of State for Railways Suresh Angadi and legendary singer S.P. Balasubramaiam.
“Yes, it was a one-off case and in COVID-19 one does not know, things can turn sour any time,” he said, adding that the success in Solanki’s case was his will power and the efforts of his team, including senior doctors, who visited the patient at least three times a day. Dr Parikh said that looking at Solanki’s will power he felt that he would be back in action in a couple of months.
Solanki was gracious enough to acknowledge the efforts of the doctors and the entire team and, his well wishers. “I have spent days staring at the walls and the lights,” the Congress leader said.
Replying to a question on whether he had kept himself updated on political developments, he said there was no scope of thinking anything else. “Complications kept happening and one had to think about it. I did not even know whether I would survive or not,” he remarked.
Emphasizing on the importance of social distancing at a time when COVID-19 cases are on the rise and the fact that it does not spare anyone, Solanki said that he was under the impression that his immunity was very good and that nothing would happen to him.
The Congress leader said that only the one who has suffered can say what one undergoes. “There is no defined method to overcome psychological issues,” he pointed out.
