Alone and sick in a foreign land

It was all a pleasant trip for Bo-Rojer Mauritz (Palmquist, 56), of Helsingborg, Sweden, until an ill-fate in the form of cerebral malaria hit him while on a visit to Thekkady on August 27.

Mr. Mauritz, who came all alone, reached Mumbai on August 12 and visited several places before reaching Thekkady on August 17. He took a room in a modest hotel at Kumily and visited several places nearby. On August 27, he was found in a semi-unconscious condition at the hotel room. With high fever and shivering, he had almost lost his ability to speak and the hotel staff admitted him to a nearby hospital and informed the police.

With his condition deteriorating, the police shifted him to a private hospital here. Mr. Mauritz was in the intensive care unit of the hospital till Sunday night, when his condition worsened. On the advice of doctors, he was shifted to the Medical College Hospital at Kottayam on Monday morning. Doctors say that his condition is stable but critical.

The police informed about his ill fate to the district administration, which brought the issue to the notice of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs also.

According to Kumily Circle Inspector of Police, Anil Sreenivasan, ever since his condition deteriorated, they were trying to get a response from the Swedish Embassy. “Finally on Tuesday night, we got a reply from the Swedish High Commissioner that it cannot interfere till he returns to the normal condition,'' Mr. Sreenivasan said.

The saddest part of the story is that his visa expires on September 9 and he needs official clearance to continue his stay in the country. His hospital bill and expenses for medicines were borne by the management of the hotel. They had also deputed a staff to attend to him at the hospital here, he said.

Mr. Mauritz has enough money in his account, but it can be transferred only when he returns to normalcy, he said. “What is needed is immediate help and official level intervention from the Swedish Embassy,'' Mr. Sreenivasan said. A non-governmental organisation at Kottayam is presently attending to him.

Mr. Mauritz, believed to be an artiste, had also visited other countries. “We are also trying to contact his family members at Helsingborg,'' said Mr. Sreenivasan. As he continues to be in a critical condition, we have not yet been able to elicit the details of his family members from him, he said.