K-P COVID-19 patient happy to get new life

Adil Rehman says he recovered after spending eight days in Peshawar’s Police Services Hospital

ISLAMABAD: The first patient to recover from the novel coronavirus in Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa (K-P) says he was fortunate to get a new lease on life.

Adil Rehman, a 29-year old businessman from Khyber district, was discharged from the Police Services Hospital in Peshawar on Tuesday. “I had no international travel history and don’t know how I was infected,” Rehman said.

“On March 12, initially I had a high temperature along with tiredness and body aches. On the second day, there was severe pain in my throat. “Due to the sore throat, I was unable to even eat anything,” he recalled, adding on the third day, he developed a dry cough, and on the fourth day, he experienced difficulty in breathing,” he added.

“When I felt that my situation had deteriorated, I went to a doctor in the provincial capital, who immediately referred me to the Police Services Hospital on March 16, where they conducted a test and I was tested positive.”

The hospital was the first facility to be declared an isolation centre for coronavirus patients by the provincial government, where Rehman spent eight days in an isolation room.

“These eight days in the hospital were very tough, as I was even unable to speak with my family because mobile phone signals were very weak there,” he said.

However, he praised the doctors and nurses for their excellent treatment which helped him recover. “The hospital administration did not allow my family to bring in food and there also weren’t any arrangements for healthy food, but I had fruits,” he said.

Avoid panic

Rehman, was initially petrified when he tested positive because thousands of people across the globe had died from the coronavirus, but now he says people should not panic. “I request all people to please don’t feel fear. Just follow the guidelines and stay home. If I can recover, other people can also recover.”

After being discharged from the hospital, Rehman stayed at home and avoided meeting with anyone. “Now I am fully recovered. There are no symptoms of fever, cough, tiredness or throat infection, but still as per the doctors’ advice, I am following the guidelines and staying home in isolation for five or six more days.”

The first death in the country was also reported in K-P on March 18 when 50-year-old Saadat Khan, who returned from Saudi Arabia on March 9, died in the hospital. According to health authorities, Khan spread the virus in his village and more than 40 people there tested positive.

Published in The Express Tribune, March 31^st, 2020.