Sambhavna Seth recalls her recent ordeal; actress says no hospital agreed to admit her

MUMBAI: While we are in a war against the Covid-19 pandemic, many non-COVID patients have horrifying tales of medical apathy to share. Sambhavna Seth recently ended up spending more than a day in acute pain, as she ran from pillar to post to consult a doctor.

Recalling her ordeal, the actress shares, 'I have been suffering from frequent bouts of acute cold and cough for years. Each time, it takes me around 20 days to recover. Last month, I was down with yet another bout and was on medication. I didn’t tell anyone, barring a few friends, because I feared that people might mistake it for COVID-19. I thought that I would get better with medication, as always. However, by Sunday evening, I was in a bad state. My condition worsened after my vision blurred suddenly and I started getting anxiety attacks. When Avinash (Dwivedi, husband) checked my blood pressure, it was dangerously low. Soon after, I started feeling dizzy and experienced excruciating pain in my left ear. Despite being unwell, I walked inside the house through the night, as I would feel dizzy the moment I sat down.'

However, around 4 am on Monday, the earache became so unbearable that Sambhavna decided to rush to a hospital. However, that’s when the real ‘pain’ started. She tells us, 'To our shock, no hospital agreed to admit me. We must have visited around seven hospitals and each time, we were turned away at the entrance. They would simply refuse to allow us in, or tell us that no doctors were available. I think they feared that I was infected with COVID-19. Finally, a hospital took me in after checking my temperature, only to tell me that I needed to consult an ENT specialist, who wasn’t available at their hospital. We eventually left for home and I slept for about an-hour-and-a-half before I woke up with even more pain, anxiety, and panic. I thought I was going to die. Many doctors suggested consultation on video, but I needed to be checked in person for my peace of mind.'

It was on Tuesday morning that Sambhavna finally got to visit a doctor. 'She was a Godsend. She asked me to reach the hospital within 15 minutes, and I rushed. She told me that there was a severe infection in my ear and everything was a result of that. Thankfully, the dizziness has subsided because of medication.'

She adds, 'My experience taught me that shayad hum COVID-19 se baad mein marenge, but baaki serious health issues se pehle. What if you have an elderly person at home, who needs immediate medical help? I know that COVID-19 warriors are working relentlessly, but there are other health woes that could need immediate attention, too. Many people have had similar experiences and they reached out to me after learning about my ordeal.'

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Credits: TOI