Chef employed at US Army base in Iraq airlifted to Kolkata for Covid care – Times of India

KOLKATA: Tagore Park resident Biraj Rufus Gomes, 43, was stationed at a US Army base in Baghdad, Iraq, as a chef when he contracted Covid-19 in May-end.
He was initially admitted to a hospital in Baghdad but as his condition turned serious, his employers, a services company called Vectrus, tried to shift him to a better healthcare facility in Dubai where the company is headquartered, but was reportedly denied permission by the authorities. The company then decided to airlift Gomes all the way to Kolkata for treatment.
“On June 2, Vectrus got in touch with us. An official told us they had decided to fly my brother to Kolkata in an air ambulance. Since Ruby General Hospitals is close to our house, it was decided that he would be treated there,” said the chef’s younger sister, Teresa Khan.
On June 7, an air ambulance with Gomes took off from Baghdad. Two doctors accompanied Gomes, who was fitted with high-flow nasal cannula. “I was drowsy during the flight. The craft halted somewhere for refuelling and took almost eight hours to reach Kolkata. I felt restless and prayed that I reach my city safe. The moment I landed in Kolkata, I got back the resolve to fight,”Gomes told TOI.
The air ambulance landed at Kolkata airport on the morning of June 8 where a medical team with a critical care ambulance from the hospital was waiting.
“The team had taken prior permissions to drive the ambulance right up to the aircraft. The patient was shifted to the ambulance and reached the hospital around 6.15am,” recounted Ruby general manager Subhashish Datta.
At the hospital’s Covid ICU, doctors found that along with Covid-induced acute breathing distress, Gomes also had diabetes ketoacidotis, a serious complication that sometimes prove fatal.
“We put him on steroid therapy, fluid insulin and worked out on electrolyte correction measures. Luckily, he showed signs of recovery. Though his oxygen requirement remained high for days, he did not require ventilation,” said critical care specialist Rimita Dey who attended to the patient along with endocrinologist Ajitesh Roy and gastroenterologist Debasis Sardar.
Gomes was shifted out of the ICU after a week. He was discharged from the hospital on Saturday after doctors certified him fit.
Starting from a small pizza outlet in Kolkata two decades ago, Gomes’ culinary skills opened up vistas abroad. Last October, he had returned from another Army base camp in Afganisthan due to the pandemic but his employers recontacted him and offered the work at the US Army base camp in Baghdad.
“The company that employed me has taken care of all expenses for the air ambulance and the treatment. I hope they will call me back soon as I can’t wait to resume work,” said Gomes.