Media Release

Ajman, Jul 29: Thumbay Hospital, Ajman, the leading academic hospital under Thumbay Group’s healthcare division organized a special function on July 29, 2020, to officially bid farewell to the hospital’s last COVID-19 patient Shamzeer, and honour Priyanka, a frontline superhero and survivor in the fight against COVID-19. The function was attended by Dr Mohammad Faisal, COO of Thumbay Hospital, Ajman; Dr Manvir Singh Walia, COO of Thumbay University Hospital and the medical, administrative and support staff of the hospital.

With the final COVID-19 patient recovered and discharged a few days ago, the hospital continues its normal operations, with almost all specialties and the in-patient wing continuing to welcome patients for treatment.

Speaking at the function, Shamzeer, hailing from Kerala, India and working at a gas company in Dubai, recounted his experience as the hospital’s last COVID-19 patient, thanking the hospital for the compassionate care and emotional support he received on the road to recovery. “The hospital supported my recovery not only with medicines and treatment but also with constant encouragement to ensure my emotional well-being, which I believe was crucial to my speedy recovery,” he said, thanking the doctors and the hospital management for the touching farewell accorded to him.

Priyanka, staff nurse of Thumbay Hospital Ajman shared her remarkable experience of surviving COVID-19 after she was hospitalized and placed in ventilator support for two weeks. “I had been working here at the hospital when I started experiencing shortness of breath and fever, following which I was tested positive for COVID-19. What made my situation complicated was that I was in the 33rd week of pregnancy. As soon as my situation worsened, I was shifted to the ICU, the multidisciplinary team of doctors here decided that the best course of action would be to perform a C-section and rescue my unborn baby. This proved to be a brilliant decision,” she said. The girl child, unaffected by her mother’s infection, had to spend a month at the hospital NICU while Priyanka fought the disease with ventilator support.

Her husband Sumesh recalled those harrowing times, “I had to take a month off work to take care of the situation where my wife was fighting COVID-19 and our newborn was in the NICU. In the end, thanks to the prayers of all our relatives and friends, Priyanka started showing steady improvement and was tested negative,” he said.

The biggest help was when Thumbay Group decided to waive off all her hospital charges, including the newborn’s NICU charges on compassionate grounds and in recognition of Priaynka’s services as frontline worker against COVID-19. “We cannot thank the management of Thumbay Group enough, for this magnanimous gesture. This was in addition to the exceptional treatment and care both the mother and the child were given at Thumbay Hospital,” he said.

It was an emotional reunion for Priyanka as she finally got to see her baby after forty days. The couple has named their baby ‘Prarthana’, which means ‘prayer’ in their mother-tongue Malayalam, as a mark of gratitude for all the prayers and support they received. Priyanka says she is eager to return to work at Thumbay Hospital, Ajman, after completing the few months rest she has been advised. She is flying back to her native in Kerala, next week.

Speaking at the function, Dr Mohammad Faisal, the COO thanked the UAE government for their guidance and support, as well as Dr Thumbay Moideen founder president of Thumbay Group and Akbar Moideen Thumbay vice president of the Healthcare Division for their leadership in the hospital’s fight against COVID-19. “It is with great pleasure that we bid farewell to our last COVID-19 patient. I thank the entire staff of Thumbay Hospital, Ajman, including the doctors, nurses, technicians, administrative and support staff, for making this possible. We have had the honour of rendering excellent support to the UAE’s progressive strides with regard to the COVID-19 situation. As we prepare to celebrate Eid Al Adha, we are happy to be back to new normal, and once again welcome one and all to Thumbay Hospital Ajman for your healthcare needs,” he said.