Bhavya Gandhi, who played Tapu aka Tipendra Jethalal Gada on television show Taarak Mehta Ka Ooltah Chashmah, lost his father Vinod Gandhi to Covid-19. His father had tested coronavirus positive few weeks ago.
The actor’s mother, Yashoda Gandhi, has opened up about the struggles the family faced for his treatment due to the ongoing crisis. She said that the family had to go through a difficult time to find him a hospital bed.
Speaking to SpotboyE, Yashoda said that a month ago Vinod got mild fever followed by chest pain. A chest scan showed a 5% infection but the doctor suggested home isolation and medication after consulting a specialist. However, even after two days, he didn’t get any relief.
“We again got his ct scan done…and unfortunately we learnt that the infection has doubled up and we have to admit him in the hospital. But I wasn’t getting any hospital. Wherever I was calling they were asking me to register in BMC and when our number will come they will call me…I finally found a bed for him at a hospital in Dadar. Where he stayed for two days and then there also doctors told me that he needs an ICU and we don’t have for now. So, please shift him to another hospital after which I had at least made 500 calls searching for the ICU bed…one of my friend finally managed to arrange for a ICU bed at a small hospital in Goregaon,” she said.
She added how she even had to pay an extra price for his medicines. “Doctor asked us to arrange Remdesvir injection and I literally paid cost of 8 injections for 6 injections. After that they asked me to arrange ‘Toxin’ injection…I had to get it imported from Dubai and that too, using source and paying 1 lakh for a 45k injection,” she said, adding that she finally had to shift him to Kokilaben hospital where he stayed for 15 days before he died on Tuesday.
She added that she saw him last on April 23 “from a distance though he was unconscious and couldn’t see me”. The actor has not issued a statement yet.