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Former UAE resident, Dr Rekha Krishnan, attributed her gesture as a result of her upbringing in the culturally rich Emirates.
As family members and relatives were not allowed inside a Covid ward, a Hindu doctor recited ‘Kalima Shahada’ for her dying Muslim patient at a hospital in Kerala. And the moment Dr Rekha Krishnan, a former UAE resident, finished the dua: ‘La ilaha illallah Muhammadur rasulullah’, Beevathu took her last breath earlier this week.
“She was a 56-year-old Covid-19 patient with severe pneumonia. During admission, she was in a bad shape and placed on a ventilator. We tried our best, but after 17 days, she suffered multiple organ malfunctioning. There was no hope. We had a discussion with the family members. They gave consent to take her off the ventilator. They accepted the fate. Since it is a Covid ICU, we couldn’t let the relatives enter or see a patient. Other nurses were busy with patients. So, I was there with Beevathu in her final moments,” Dr Rekha said over the phone from Pattambi in Palakkad district.
“Her heart rate and BP were dropping rapidly. While I was standing there helplessly watching her, I felt very sad. I didn’t know what her last memory of her family was. I started a silent prayer for her soul and then chanted the Kalima. If her daughter or a family member was there, they too would have done the same thing. It was not a religious act but a humanitarian one. What touched me the most was the moment I finished the prayer, she took her last breath. The way this happened, made me feel that someone made me do it, like a divine intervention,” said Dr Rekha, internal medicine, Sevana Hospital and Research Centre, Pattambi, Palakkad district.
She shared the incident with her friend Dr Mustafa, who posted the deed on social media platforms.
Dr Rekha attributed her gesture as a result of her upbringing in the culturally rich UAE.
“I was born in Kerala but raised in Dubai. I finished my schooling from The Indian High School Dubai. My parents and relatives are in Dubai. I am the only one to have moved to India for higher studies and settled in Kerala. My husband is a doctor in Thrissur. I have two kids: a girl and a boy, both are on vacation with their grandparents in Dubai. I have a strong bond with the UAE. It is like a second home. My parents always taught me to respect all religions. While I prayed at the temple in Bur Dubai, my parents taught me to acknowledge the prayers held at mosques and imbibe the positive energy. The upbringing I had there was exceptional where I had the freedom to follow my culture. Indian and Islamic culture is all about respecting others. The mutual respect I got in the UAE, from people, is probably the reason for the profound respect I have for Islam.”
Dr Rekha underlined that amid the pandemic, especially during the second wave, health workers have also assumed the role of family members of patients.
“All our beds and ICU are full. I have forgotten the last time I slept properly. But during this pandemic, I have developed a personal relationship with patients. Chanting the Kalima is just a normal thing, which I would do any other day, if needed, like a family member.”
ashwani@khaleejtimes.com
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