A native of Uttarakhand working in Delhi as a taxi driver is ready to sell his kidney to meet the huge expense of treatment of his 15-year-old niece in Dehradun.
The reason — no Government agency or social organisation has taken notice of the plight of his niece Ritu whose parents had died some years ago and who is admitted in the Himalayan hospital at Jolly Grant for the past twelve days. The girl is diagnosed with Gullain Barre Syndrome (GBS), a very rare disease associated with the nervous system. Ritu, a Class X student of Government Inter College (GIC), Chopta in Rudraprayag was admitted in the Himalayan hospital on May 4 when she developed some complications.
The doctors diagnosed her with GBS, a disease of the autoimmune system. The girl and her elder brother live in their native village Falasi in Rudraprayag district with the family of her uncle Rajpal Singh Negi who works as a driver in Delhi and is too poor to afford the expensive treatment. The Himalayan hospital which is being run by a trust has also refused to offer any concession to the family in treatment and other expenses.
The uncle of the girl, Rajpal Singh Negi told this correspondent that he has borrowed money from moneylenders at a very high interest rate for treatment of Ritu. “I have spent more than Rs four lakh till date on treatment of my niece. I did not want people to accuse me of neglecting her just because she is not my biological daughter.
Till date no Government agency or any social organisation has offered any help. The hospital authorities here have also refused to give any concession for the treatment. We paid a sum of Rs 10000 per day when Ritu was admitted in Intensive Care Unit (ICU). I am even ready to sell my kidney to meet the expenses and determined to continue her treatment,’’ said Negi on a sombre note.
The administrative officer of Himalayan hospital, Mukesh Mamgain said that the hospital has helped the family by arranging a grant of Rs one lakh from the Hans Foundation. He claimed that some concession was offered in medicines also. The professor, Department of Paediatrics, Dr Anil Rawat said that the girl is showing improvement now.
He said GBS is an autoimmune disorder in which the immune system attacks the nerves system and causes demyelination (damage of the myelin sheath of nerves). The doctor accepted that the cost of treatment of the disease is high as expensive immunologlobulins are needed to be injected in the patient. He said that these injections alone have cost about Rs 2.45 lakh to the family.