It was a painful five-kilometre walk for 19-year-old Gautam Prasad from his house in congested Mayapuri to ESI Hospital in Bali Nagar on Tuesday. His intestines were ruptured, but denied even an ambulance, he ended up walking the entire stretch.
Gautam had a bout of fever for two-three days. But on Tuesday morning, he complained of excessive pain and was taken to the Deen Dayal Upadhyay Hospital, accompanied by his father Radhey Shyam, a factory worker, and neighbour Ram Kirpal Prajapati. Here again, there was no option but to walk.
At DDU hospital, the staff allegedly told the family that they will give him pain-relief medicine. But as his pain aggravated, they decided to get an ultrasound scan at a nearby private hospital.
“We were informed that his small intestine has ruptured and he needs to be operated upon. They said it would cost around ₹60,000,” said Ram, adding that the family decided to take him to ESI Hospital for monetary reasons.
When walking back home, his pain increased and he gave up. Ram dialled an ambulance, but no one picked up. After persistent buzz, someone did, but bluntly refused to send one.
“The hospital said they don’t have any,” Ram alleged.
Fear factor
Helpless, they started walking. Though Ram owned an e-rickshaw, he didn’t offer the vehicle for fear of getting impounded. “They don’t even let us go out on the street. They will take the vehicle if we use it,” said Ram.
Worse still, they had to keep off the police, as they feared getting stopped. Finally, they reached the hospital, where he was operated on an emergency basis. On Wednesday, Ram and Gautam’s father Shyam were stopped by the police on their way to the hospital. After several pleas, they allowed the father to go. Gautam’s sister Vandana too had to walk.
Faraway funeral
In another jhuggi in the same locale, Anita and her brother Annu Prasad, both employees of a private company, got a phone call on Thursday morning, informing the death of their father Kailash Prasad in a village in Uttar Pradesh’s Azamgarh. With no mode of transportation, they told relatives back home that they wouldn’t be able to attend the funeral.
“The last rites were performed by my sister’s son,” said Annu, the only son of Kailash. The father, he said, was diagnosed with blood infection on March 23.
“We spoke to a police officet and a local leader. They said they couldn’t help. We didn’t know about e-pass. Above all, we were told that even if we reach U.P., we will be put in separate shelters and won’t be allowed to go home,” said Annu, adding that he didn’t get a chance to speak to his father or see him one last time.
