KOCHI: Krithika V (name changed) has been going through the most difficult phase of her lifetime and it's not just about coronavirus. The post-graduate student, who studies in Italy, was tested pregnant a month ago.
After getting rejected by the Italian hospitals when she approached them for necessary medication, the
24-year-old returned to India only to be quarantined in Delhi without any medical assistance.
From being stranded at Milan international airport for a few days to being quarantined for more than a month at the facility run by the Indo-Tibetan Border Police (ITBP) at Chhawla in Delhi, the Idukki native's life has been a roller-coaster ride so far. Other than the intermittent bouts of vomiting due to morning sickness, she has been distraught with back pain, stomach ache and unending headache.
"I'm really scared here. Though ITBP has been providing basic medical care for everyone, they are helpless to provide additional facilities for me. I neither had a scanning nor a proper medical check-up after arriving here. Precisely, I have no clue about the current status of my pregnancy," she said.
Whenever vomiting occurs, she just manages to sleep, hoping that things would get better. More than the physical pain, it is the uncertainty of returning to her home state that is worrying her. "Though everyone will say that we are getting good facilities at the centre, none has realised the mental agony we're going through. After being admitted here on March 15, our life has been limited to a single floor. Most of us haven't even seen proper sunlight for the past three weeks. Many of us experiencing pressure variation and often consult the psychiatrist," she said.
While returning from Italy, all she wanted was to reach home without any delay. "After the ordeal at the airport over the Covid-19 negative certificate, I hoped that things would improve after reaching home. But now, there is no idea how many more weeks we will have to spend in this military camp," she said.
She also points out that despite the lockdown, states like Karnataka, Andhra Pradesh and Maharashtra are taking their students home on special buses. "Only a few of us are remaining here now. The students from nearby states have left after completing their quarantine period. States like Andhra Pradesh are providing food and transport facilities for their students. We are hopeful that the Kerala government will also understand our plight and bring us to our family," she added.
A total of 21 students from Kerala arrived with the 211-strong student contingent from various colleges on March 15. They were confirmed negative for the novel Coronavirus on March 31. Most of them are hailing from Thrissur, Thiruvananthapuram, Kannur, Ernakulam, Malappuram, Kottayam, Idukki, Palakkad and Kollam.