Indian teacher contracts coronavirus in China; family starts online fundraiser
An Indian schoolteacher in China has contracted the deadly novel coronavirus, 2019-nCoV. Preeti Maheshwari, 41, was admitted to the Shekou Hospital in the Chinese city of Shenzen on January 11 and has since remained critical. Unable to keep up with the mounting hospital bills, her family had started online fundraisers to allow others to help with her treatment. Here are more details.
Maheshwari suffered from coronavirus pneumonia, respiratory failure, etc.
Maheshwari suffered from coronavirus pneumonia, type 1 respiratory failure, multiple organ dysfunction syndrome, and septic shock. She has reportedly been on external respiratory support, ventilators, dialysis, and blood purification process at the Shekou Hospital's intensive care unit. Her brother, Manish Thapa had said that although her health has been improving, she remains on critical life support and has a "long road to recovery."
Cost of treatment 10 lakh Chinese Yuan, says family
Thapa, told LiveMint on Friday, "The cost of the treatment, since the day Preeti was admitted—January 11, 2020—is increasing day by day. Currently, the treatment is costing 10 lakh Chinese Yuan which is Rs. 1 crore in Indian currency." Thapa added, "Aware of the mounting treatment expenses, I have taken to healthcare crowdfunding platform ImpactGuru.com."
Family started two online fundraisers with Rs. 1cr goal
Maheshwari's family had started two fundraisers, one on ImpactGuru and another on Milaap. Both fundraisers have a goal amount of Rs. 1 crore, the amount required for Maheshwari's treatment. At the time of writing this report, the ImpactGuru fundraiser has collected Rs. 36.74 lakh while the Milaap fundraiser Rs. 11.92 lakh. Both fundraisers are still short, however, the family has decided to close them.
Doctors say Maheshwari could be off ventilator soon
In a Facebook post on Monday, Maheshwari's cousin Pratibha said that the doctors are hopeful that she will be off the ventilator in the next three-four days. Pratibha said her cousin is now undergoing wheelchair therapy. She also said that they have managed to raise requisite funds for the treatment and will be closing the fundraisers. She thanked everyone who came forward to help.
Coronavirus has killed over 80 people in China
The 2019-nCoV is a SARS-like virus that has spread from the Chinese city of Wuhan to several parts of the world, as far as the United States, Canada, France, Australia, etc. The coronavirus impacts a host's respiratory system, causing pneumonia-like symptoms and in severe cases, organ failure and death. The virus has killed over 80 people in China and infected almost 3,000 globally.
