In the busy Lok Nayak Jayaprakash Narayan Hospital ward no. 32, thirty-six-year-old haemophilic Amit Ahuja, assisted by a group of doctors and nurses, is battling to stay alive while waiting for relief from the courts. Medicines that can help cease his internal bleeding, besides being expensive, are not currently available with the government hospital.
Now with another court hearing scheduled on Tuesday, Amit’s family huddled near him on Monday, praying for relief.
His father V.K. Ahuja said: “Amit’s left leg had to be amputated in 1997 after an accident. He has been bedridden since 2010 due to medical problems. His health took a turn for the worse when he woke up with pain in the hip-joint three months ago. We tried ice-packs, etc., but there was no relief. Worse, a tumour in his right thigh burst, causing extreme discomfort.”
Amit’s sister Pooja said things went from bad to worse from January.
“He needed hospitalisation. On January 23, we went round from one government hospital to another looking for a bed. Finally JPN Hospital took us in. The doctors are trying to do their best and are constantly monitoring his condition, but he needs strong drugs which can stop the bleeding. Those are not available yet. In the absence of the drug, my brother is literally bleeding to death. He has bedsores, his tumour has not healed and he is being given blood to maintain his haemoglobin levels.”
The family — where V.K. Ahuja, the sole earning member, runs a small rubber business — has sold all its assets to pay for Amit’s treatment. “My parents have nothing left for their old age. We have sold off everything to help Amit lead a life as near normal as possible. But for the past two months Amit, because of his injury, has not even been able to turn sides,” Pooja added.
Amit’s lawyer advocate Gurmit Singh Hans said: “No citizen can be allowed to die for want of medicines. The case is coming up for hearing again on Tuesday and we hope for some immediate relief. The young man has been under severe medical stress for the past two months and we hope he will get help soon.”
Incidentally, The Hindu had reported last week how the Delhi High Court had insisted that it would not allow any person to “bleed to death”.
While hearing the case of Amit and another poor patient, a Bench of Justice Manmohan had criticised the government and its hospitals for not creating dedicated bank accounts where the public can donate money for the treatment of poor patients.
When told by the Health Secretary that the Government has one such account, the Bench said: “We need to cut down the bureaucratic chain so the money reaches the needy. The account should be subject to audit. The head of any government hospital should not need to request the State for treating the poor.”
As for Amit, the court had said: “No person can bleed to death.”
