Our Cook Anjali whose daughter is ten years old, has struggled for two days with her daughter's stomach pain. On seeing her condition she rushed her to the nearest Government Hospital Bara Hindu Rao Hospital. The doctors on duty gave her injections one after another to reduce the pains but the pain didn't subside.
When, I inquired about her condition, she told me that she got her daughter discharged from the hospital as her daughter was waning in pain continuously. Later on she told me that the doctor on duty told her that since her daughter is fine, than what more she want now from the doctors. Anjali simply asked the doctor that why her daughter is in pain, why after giving so many injections, the pain still persists. How can the doctor says that her daughter is fine. When Anjali told me about the condition of her daughter, I got little hint whether she is suffering form Appendicitis, but I kept my thought with myself. And when she narrated the whole incident, I got infuriated at the behaviour of the doctors who are considered not less than God by the patient and patient's relatives. Anjali got her daughter discharged from the hospital, against the wishes of her parents.
After, Anjali got her discharged, she took her daughter to the local clinic where the doctor after checking her clinically, told her that this is the case of appendicitis and she was advised for ultrasound test. After the confirmation and on the advise of the local doctor who is also running a private hospital, gave her an estimate of Rs.1.25 lakhs for the operation which was not possible for her. Anjali, then took her to the Kalawati Hospital. At the Kalawati Hospital, again after few tests, she was referred to Lady Hardinge Hospital, Connaught Place. Again it was a painful ordeal for the patient as well as the parents as there was a long queue of patients and this poor girl was admitted to the hospital after a long wait of four to five hours. There she was operated and her infected Appendix was removed. This whole process from stomachache to visit to Hindu Rao Hospital and then her operation in Lady Hardinge Hospital took four days and this poor girl spent these days in pain.
But her ordeal of pain did not end even after the operation. Her stitches were removed few days after the operation. When at home, she was having continuous pain and a fluid started flowing from the wound, three days after the removal of stitches. She was then taken to the local doctor who again suggested Anjali to take her daughter to Lady Hardinge but remembering the long queues and wait, she refused to go the Lady Hardinge Hospital and requested the local doctor to treat her daughter. It was severe infection inside her stomach.
Finally, after spending few thousands of rupees and numerous rounds at the clinics of doctors, post operation, her daughter is fine now. But this whole ordeal leaves many questions unanswered, that why:
i. the docs in Hindu Rao Hospital didn't conducted tests on her
ii. the docs at Hindu Rao Hospital are so insensitive to the patients
iii. the Government Hospitals are overcrowded and burdened beyond their capacity
iv. the number of doctors is increasing every year then why these hospitals do not have enough doctors
v. Private Hospitals by the so called corporates are mushrooming whereas Government hospitals are lacking in facilities
vi. the funds meant for government hospitals are not being utilised on the infra-structure of these hospitals who is using these funds
vii. the people suffer when our Governments announcing schemes every year
Am I overthinking?????????
