Mysurean Dr. Meghana serves JJ Hospital in Mumbai, the hotspot of killer virus

By M.T. Yogesh Kumar

Mysore/Mysuru: At a time when Maharashtra is witnessing a surge in the number of Coronavirus cases, a young lady doctor from Mysuru is not only helping Corona Warriors in Mumbai by providing food and PPE kits to them but also serving infected patients.

Maharashtra is one of the worst hit States in the country by the pandemic. The Centre has declared Mumbai as one of the hotspots of COVID-19 in the country and various measures have been taken by the authorities to contain the spread of the virus in its densely populated slums.

 Most of the residential areas in Old Mumbai have been declared as Red Zones. At this testing time, Dr. K.R. Meghana is working 14 hours per day at JJ Hospital (COVID Hospital) which is located near VT Station in Mumbai. She is not only taking care of infected patients but also managing supply of food and safety equipment to healthcare community.

Daughter of Ranganathan and Mohana Ranghanathan, residents of Vijayanagar 3rd Stage in Mysuru, Dr. Meghana completed her MBBS in Mysore Medical College and Research Institute (MMC&RI) in 2017. After serving at K.R. Hospital for one year in the OPD Department, she did her MS Ophthalmology in JJ Hospital.

Maharashtra Government has now given her the responsibility of managing COVID-19 infected patients. Dr. Meghana began her career at St. George Hospital in Mumbai which is the parent organisation of JJ Hospital. She has also been Secretary of Maharashtra Association of Resident Doctors (MARD) after winning the election.

Maharashtra worst hit

Speaking to ‘Star of Mysore,’ Dr. Meghana said, “Compared to other States, Maharashtra is one of the worst hit States in the country. Every day, more than 100 cases are being reported. Our doctors are working in three shifts. In our hospital, in total, there are 12 wards and in each of those wards six doctors are working day and night to combat the situation. After completing our duty for seven days, we have to undergo a quarantine period for the next seven days. This routine is repeated.”

“We have an ICU and a separate dialysis ward here in our hospital. If any infected patients are detected in Mumbai area, they will be brought and treated here in our hospital. We are conducting swab testing on all the inpatients on the 3rd and 14th day of admission. Unfortunately, most the people getting infected with this deadly virus are in the age group of 45 and above,” she revealed.

Testing time for doctors

“Together with some NGOs, our MARD Association  has taken the responsibility of supplying food from Taj Hotel in Mumbai to the doctors and other healthcare workers. A total of six NGOs are helping our Association to provide breakfast, lunch, evening snacks and dinner. We have also bought over 5,000 N-95 masks, PPE kits and other essentials from dealers and providing them to our healthcare workers. Yes, I agree that this is a testing time for us, but we are in this profession to serve people,” she said.

“Corona is no different from fever. Maximum affected persons are those who have other co-morbidities and who are aged 50 years and more. Here, we are treating them as per the protocol. Unfortunately, as of now, there is no specific treatment or vaccine available for this condition,” she added.

Dr. Meghana’s parents are residing in Mysuru. Her father Ranganathan is a retired employee of Engineering Project India as General Manger and her mother Mohana Ranghanathan has worked as a teacher in Lions School.

Proud parents

Ranganathan couple told ‘SOM’, “Since her childhood, Meghana has been a brave kid. She did her tenth standard in Lions Sevaniketan School and PU in Sadvidya PU College, Mysuru. She had scored 100 marks in Maths. We thought she will be an engineer, but she opted for medicine. She is our only child and naturally, we are little scared. We are very proud of her. Every day, she calls us and shares her experience with us and her 95-year-old grandmother Ranganayakamma.”