To be ill and to be poor.....

'Swine flu' might be the disease of the day, but there are plenty of horrifying diseases, ailments, illnesses and accidents each so horrifying that you won’t wish any of them for even worst of your enemies. Amputations, body burns, trauma patients, patients for kidney transplants, cancers, acid burns, industrial accidents and what not. The good thing between all this misery and suffering is the fact that India is fast emerging as the destination for medical tourism with private hospital chains like max, escorts that offer better than the luxury hotels in services. But poor are not the one welcome here, this luxury of treatment is reserved for lucky few having resources to pay for it. Diseases and Illnesses are not fair, they dont believe in equality, they hurt poor many times more, in ways more than one.

I happened to visit AIIMS Trauma center and Safdarjung Hospital to meet Mr. Sudhir. Mr. Sudhir is an IPS officer who runs NGO Sapna and helps poor patients stationed in govt. hospitals and he explained to me the situation there. Most patients are from poorest of districts, from Bihar, Orissa, Assam , Rajasthan. Diseases and accidents force them to migrate for treatments. Often they sell their fields and lands and have to set up a base around hospitals. Moving to a city is a culture shock and they usually find no work. Illiteracy makes it harder for them to negotiate the system. Their tattered prescription slips is the only guidance they get. The situation becomes worse when the only earning member is ill or the ill person needs constant care from family. With no work and no money they either fall under burden of debt or are dependent entirely on charity. Many times relatives desert their patients and leave them to their fate. It’s a choice between starvation and guilt for their loved one. To use money on a dying family member or so save it for their kids, is not a easy choice to make.

That is one part of the problem. Although the treatment is free in these hospitals, medicines for ailments such as kidney transplant can cost up to three thousand a week. There is absolutely no way for patients to gather such an amount. The other issue is that most of them do not know anyone in the city. It becomes impossible for patients to arrange for blood donations. With so many blood donation myths and apprehensions and often due to superstitions even near and dear ones refuse to donate blood. They often end up with touts who exploit their desperate situation and make blood donors available for as high as fifteen hundred for a unit of blood.

It was a strange sight at hospital, to see all the patients and their relatives weeping and crying in front of Sudhir Sir. They were falling on to his feet asking for medicines, clothes, shelters and units of blood. But even he can offer little and often nothing but sympathy.

One thing NSS has decided to do along with NGO Sapna is to arrange six Blood Donors from IIT Delhi to go to Safdarjung Hospital every saturday to donate blood. NGO Sapna will arrange for transport and ensure that the blood directly reaches the needy patients. I am sure students will come forward for this cause.

To think of it, to extend a helping hand is so much more than a NSS activity. To share pain of others, to help someone in need is important. At one level this is what makes us all human.

- Abhinav

kumarabhinavgupta@gmail.com