The Hauz Khas police station building in South Delhi has a new resident these days, a 38-year-old under-trial prisoner from Jharkhand who is suffering from brain tumour. Though he was sent to the All India Institute of Medical Sciences here as an emergency case, he is still waiting for his treatment at the premier institute.
Chandan Deonath, suffering from a life-threatening condition, has been battling it out in the police station corridors, living without even bare minimum facilities like a bed and a fan. To add to his misery, he is not even sure if he will receive treatment soon at AIIMS.
Chandan has been lodged at Shivkela jail, Jamshedpur, for the last seven years in cases of rioting and theft. He hails from the Hooghly district in West Bengal.
According to Chandan’s brother Subir, who has accompanied him to Delhi, the doctors at AIIMS have been delaying his date of treatment despite the doctors from Ranchi referring his case as an emergency.
“We came to Delhi on September 9 and met a doctor at AIIMS the next day. We requested him to treat my brother’s case as emergency because his condition is very bad. Despite this, the doctor gave us a date for MRI test on September 16. The results will be out by September 26. Only then will he take the treatment forward,” said Subir.
Apart from having constant headache and nausea, Chandan has also been hit by paralysis on the right side of his body for the last few days. He is incapable of using his right arm and right leg and cannot even use the washroom without an attendant’s help.
Subir and his neighbour Tarun accompanied Chandan to Delhi and they are taking care of him at the police station. But they might also have to leave soon because of a medical emergency back home in West Bengal.
Chandan was diagnosed with a pineal tumour with hydrocephalus, and was found to be in need of urgent surgery. Doctor C.B. Sinha, who treated on him at Ranchi Institute of Medical Sciences, had referred him to AIIMS in Delhi on August 28, 2014, for the surgery. A Medical Board recommended the same on August 30.
On September 8, Chandan’s family members received a letter from the jail authorities asking them to attend to him at AIIMS, Delhi.
Speaking about the case, AIIMS spokesperson Amit Gupta told The Hindu : “The protocol that we followed in Chandan’s case is the same as with all other patients. He was probably checked by a doctor in the OPD and further course of action was suggested. It is not possible that a patient who has been referred to AIIMS will be sent back. If there is a waiting list, the patient will be put on the list for treatment or any further investigation as suggested by the doctor. No special privilege will be given to any patient if he is a prisoner.”
(With inputs from Bindu Shajan Perappadan)
