Stuck in a hospital bed with no home to go to

Vinod Solanki, 22, is one of hundreds of riot victims but probably the only one who has been in hospital since February 28. For the last 73 days, Vinod has been confined to a hospital bed, unable to go home. Not that he has a home to return to. ‘‘My mother went there (the chawl in Behrampura where they lived) a couple of times and the entire kholi has been burnt down. All our belongings, including our laari has been looted,’’ he says.

Vinod’s injury was serious indeed - a bullet that crushed and passed through his left calf - but Solanki says he could have been discharged much before had he not been left unattended for six long hours in front of the operation theatre of VS Hospital.

Solanki, a resident of Pooja ni chawli in Behrampura, says he was hit by a stray bullet while he was running from a mob that had attacked their area. A cousin picked up a semi-conscious Solanki and brought him to VS Hospital at 2 pm. Solanki was bleeding profusely. But he says the doctor in the operation theatre refused to operate upon him unless Rs 5,000 was paid for the iron frame that had to be put in the leg. For six hours, Solanki’s mother kept pleading with the doctor - they don’t know his name - but he refused to do the operation. ‘‘I told him we can’t go back and bring money. And even if I could, I would have been able to manage only Rs. 200-300. But he said the operation wouldn’t be done unless we pay Rs. 5,000,’’ says Laaliben Solanki, mother of Vinod.

But providence and businessmen Nitin Shah came to their rescue. He saw Laaliben crying and asked her what was wrong. ‘‘He asked to see my son and then straight away gave me Rs. 17,000. He also fought with the doctor and asked him to do the operation,’’ says the mother. Shah helped the duo - both vegetable vendors and the only two earning members in a family of eight - in the coming days as well. ‘‘He is some ‘bada saab’ from some ‘bima (insurance) company,’’ says Vinod, adding that he gave his card and said they could get free medicines from a chemist shop outside VS. ‘‘In the past two and a half months, we have taken medicines worth Rs 45,000 because the doctor used to simply give the prescription and no medicines. They started giving medicines only some time back,’’ says the victim.

Laaliben sent her three daughters to an aunt’s place and she and Vinod’s younger brother have been living in the hospital, next to his bed, ever since. ‘‘I can’t leave him in this condition. He needs water in the night or has to be taken to the toilet. I have to be there,’’ says Laaliben.

Vinod feels he could have been discharged earlier but because he bled for six hours before anyone operated upon his bullet crushed leg, the injury became more serious. ‘‘There were others who had bullet injuries and came on the same day. But almost everyone has left except me,’’ he adds. ‘‘When I reached the hospital, he was lying face down, his entire jeans stained with blood. The wound was bleeding continuously,’’ says the mother.

Last month, the doctors asked Laaliben to sign on a document consenting to the amputation of Vinod’s leg. ‘‘But I refused to sign. I told them I won’t as he is the only earning member. If he is handicapped, how will the others survive,’’ says the mother. What is surprising is that without the amputation, Vinod’s leg is healing. ‘‘Now the doctor says see he is recovering and will be able to walk. How could they think of amputating his leg then?’’ she asks.

The doctor has now told Vinod that they have to do plastic surgery on his leg and asked for four bottles of blood. ‘‘They said find people who can donate four bottles of blood as we have a shortage in the hospital. But where will I go and find people?,’’ says Vinod.

Dr D C Dave, Deputy Superintendent of VS, however, called the accusations ‘bogus’ and ‘humbug’ saying ‘‘a patient has never been kept waiting for six hours if he is a serious case.’’

‘‘We have a system where the patient is prioritised according to the seriousness of his injury. So it’s not possible that a patient was kept waiting for so many hours.’’ Dave also denied there was any shortage of blood. ‘‘We just received 80 units of blood and the average is always maintained. We also ask for replacement if the patient’s family can afford and there is never any shortage,’’ he added. Dave also said the patient can give a written complaint so an inquiry can be conducted. ‘‘A number of rumours keep floating but if the patient gives us a written complaint, we can find out about the doctor on duty that day and conduct further inquiries,’’ said Dave.

Whether action is taken against the doctor or not, for Vinod’s it’s going to be a long road to recovery. ‘‘I will start a vegetable laari once I am discharged. But I don’t know where to get the money from or anything,’’ he says grimly.

‘‘Kuch to karna padega. Mehnat karenge (we’ll have to do something. We’ll work hard again),’’ says the mother.

Republished from The Indian Express