A medical college hospital in Kerala has made sure the coronavirus patients and those under observation feel at home when it comes to having nutritional food, that too free of cost.

While all government hospitals in the state serve free bread, eggs and milk to patients, the Government Medical College Hospital in Kalamassery, the only facility in Ernakulam district treating coronavirus patients, has gone a step further.

The hospital is serving three meals a day free of cost to all patients in its coronavirus-specific isolation ward, also catering to the western palate apart from the traditional Kerala cuisine.

“The meals are prepared at the canteen of the men’s hostel of the medical college and as per the nutritional requirements of the patients,” resident medical officer Dr Ganesh Mohan told The Telegraph on Tuesday.

It was the medical board of the college that decided to serve the special meals to the coronavirus patients and those under observation since they are not allowed to move around to buy anything. Usually, patients at the government medical college hospitals in Kerala have to order food items other than bread, eggs and milk from the in-house canteens. These items are charged at subsidised rates.

The meals meant for the coronavirus ward are packed by the students of the medical college attached to the hospital to maintain the highest standards of hygiene.

The 30-bed isolation ward is almost always filled to capacity as cases detected at the health desk of the international airport at Kochi are sent to the hospital.

Kerala has reported 24 positive cases so far. The patients are admitted to isolation wards of various government hospitals. Another 270 people are in hospital quarantine awaiting test reports.

“At the moment we have 29 patients. This includes a British couple,” Mohan, the RMO, said, referring to the couple who had clandestinely tried to leave for Dubai against medical advice.

The couple, who have tested positive, and 17 others of the British group had created a security and health nightmare when they escaped from a holiday resort in Munnar on Saturday and boarded an Emirates flight for Dubai. But alert officials led by Ernakulam district collector S. Suhas had deplaned them. The 17 others have been quarantined at a private hotel.

The traditional breakfast is served at 7.30am with the platter containing dosa, sambar, two eggs, tea, a one-litre mineral water bottle, a packet of tissue paper and a newspaper. Fruit juice is served at 10.30am, which is followed by lunch at 12 noon. The lunch is made of three chapattis, rice, fish fry, thoran (a typical Kerala dry vegetable side dish), a curry, curd and a mineral water bottle.

Tea is served at 3.30pm with biscuits, banana fry or vada, both popular snacks in the state. Dinner served at 7pm comprise appam, vegetable stew, two bananas and mineral water.

The western breakfast menu has soup, fresh fruits and two boiled eggs. Fresh pineapple juice is served at 11am. Toasted bread, cheese and fruits are served for lunch. Fruit juice is again served at 4pm, before dinner at 7pm that has toasted bread, scrambled eggs and fruits.

Mineral water is part of the western meals as well, planned keeping in mind the large number of NRI patients and foreigners. Boiled milk is served on demand for children.

Asked how the meals were being served free of cost, Mohan said the food was being funded by the hospital development committee that is part of the state health department.

“A cook and two assistants have been assigned to prepare the meals based on certain nutritional values. They are packed by medical students according to prescribed standards for food safety,” Mohan said.

A medical nurse supervises the supply of the meals to each patient based on his or her requirements. “Her job is to ensure everyone is served the right meal at the prescribed time,” the RMO said.

“Since coronavirus patients are not allowed to step out of their rooms or wards, it is our duty to make sure they are well-fed and their basic requirements are taken care of,” Mohan said, asked about the preferential treatment.

The other hospitals in Kerala don’t have such an elaborate meal plan for coronavirus patients, who are served the standard meals meant for all.

Every government hospital in the state serves patients milk, eggs and bread free of cost.

“The scheme was started several decades ago and is still continuing. We supply milk, eggs and bread across all government-run hospitals,” said a source at the directorate of health services in state capital Thiruvananthapuram.

All other food items are sold at subsidised rates at the hospital canteens.