Bhavya Gandhi, who portrayed Tapu aka Tipendra Jethalal Gada in the television series Taarak Mehta Ka Ooltah Chashmah, lost his father Vinod Gandhi to Covid-19. His father tested positive for coronavirus a few weeks earlier.
Yashoda Gandhi, the actor’s mum, has spoken out about the family’s struggles to pay for his care as a result of the current crisis. She said that the family had to work hard to find him a hospital bed.
Yashoda told the media that Vinod had a moderate fever followed by chest pain about a month ago. A chest scan revealed a 5% infection, but after meeting with a surgeon, the doctor recommended home isolation and treatment. However, even after two days, he had not received any relief.
“We had his CT scan taken again…and sadly, we learned that the infection had doubled and that we would have to admit him to the hospital. So I wasn’t going to the hospital. Everywhere I called, they told me to register with BMC and that when our number came up, they would contact me… I eventually got him a bed in a hospital in Dadar. Where he stayed for two days, and then doctors advised me that he wants an ICU, which we don’t have right now. So, please transfer him to another hospital, during which I made at least 500 phone calls looking for an ICU bed…one of my friends eventually managed to arrange for an ICU bed at a small hospital in Goregaon, “She said.
She went on to say that she wanted to pay a premium for his medications. “The doctor requested that we arrange for Remdesvir injections, and I actually paid for 8 injections for 6 injections. They then ordered me to pay for a ‘Toxin’ injection… I had to have it shipped from Dubai, and I had to pay 1 lakh for a 45k injection “She went on to say that she eventually had to transfer him to Kokilaben hospital, where he lived for 15 days before passing away on Tuesday.
She went on to say that she last saw him on April 23 “from a distance, because he was unconscious and couldn’t see me.” The actor has yet to make a comment.
