Just hours after Mumbai Mirror reported the plight of a five-month-old Nalla Sopara baby surviving in a thermocol icebox since October, the Wadia Hospital admits him in NICU free of cost, even as citizens send in money and offer the family daily tiffin service. On tuesday itself, the family received Rs 15,000
Doctors, bankers, teachers, writers, activists, farmers, sportsmen, industrialists... the Mumbai Mirror office was flooded with calls all through Tuesday in response to the front page story highlighting the plight of a fivemonth-old Nalla Sopara baby (In need of incubator, this 5-month-old is surviving in icebox, MM, March 11).
The baby, surviving inside a thermocol icebox at home since October after being turned away by KEM and Nair hospitals, must be saved at any cost, the readers said, while offering cash to ensure he got immediate medical attention.
Among the first to get in touch with the baby's parents was Dr Minnie Bodhanwala, chief executive officer of the Wadia Hospital for children at Parel, who not only cleared the decks for the baby's admission to the hospital's neonatal ICU free of cost, but also free hospital stay till he weighs at least 2.5 kg. The baby, born a month prematurely on October 1, weighs barely 1.5 kg and suffers from thyroid-related problems. He is likely to remain in hospital for at least three weeks.
Bodhanwala got in touch with this newspaper and managed to contact the baby's parents, Aruna and Ramesh Chauhan. "They couldn't believe their child was being offered free treatment. We arranged for an ambulance and the baby was admitted at 4.30 pm. He is under the care of Medical Director (paediatric) Dr Yashwant Ambekar and interventionist Dr Sudha Rao," Bodhanwala said, adding the line of treatment will be decided after tests.
By 6.30 pm, Ramesh Chauhan, who works for an artificial flower store in Crawford Market for a monthly salary of Rs 9,000, received around Rs 15,000 from Mumbai-ites. "Three years ago when we arrived in Mumbai from Bhavnagar in Gujarat, we were warned that this is a tough and heartless city. I want to tell those people that Mumbai has adopted my ailing son. Nowhere in the world can one find so much affection," Chauhan said, unable to fight off tears.
His wife Aruna, who had also burst into tears when Dr Bodhankar assured her free treatment for the child, said she and her husband will personally thank every person who offered help.
This correspondent started getting calls as early as 7 am, with people enquiring about the couple's contact details. One of the callers, Sapna Menon from Lokhandwala, has offered free tiffin service to the family, while another -- the daughter-in-law of a top citybased industrialist -- offered to fund the treatment in a private hospital.
"I was initially rattled," said Chauhan, "An HSBC Bank officer called up to offer financial help. Then there is this group of professionals which has offered us Rs 25,000. We received calls from Nashik as well. I appeal to Mirror to convey my gratitude to everyone who came forward to help."
'WHY ARE THE POOR BEING DENIED PROPER MEDICAL CARE?'
The pictures of a five-month-old baby inside a thermocol icebox should shame the civic authorities and politicians. Is it fair that this baby has been left to die only because his parents are poor? Unless we the people come together, the children of the poor will continue to suffer.
Just look at the scenario: an incubator in a private hospital costs Rs 8,000 a day, and the civic hospitals have a waiting list for 200 and above.
I don't think the government system will change. The rich will have to contribute. The only solution lies with the corporate houses, who will have to set up free/subsidised hospitals. - Indira Satyanarayan
I hope India's elite takes note of the Mumbai Mirror report on a fivemonth-old baby surviving inside an icebox, because his parents are unable to afford his treatment. I appeal to the corporate houses to please help the poor in need of medical help. Please practise Art of Giving, and your businesses will flourish further. - TMC Vasudevan
Who is to be blamed for the plight of the Nalla Sopara couple who are forced to keep their son inside an icebox because they can't afford the treatment? It's deplorable that BMC, which wastes hundreds of thousands of crores of taxpayers' money every year, doesn't even have enough incubators to take care of the waiting list in its hospitals. The ward boy who advised the couple to use a thermocol icebox as a stopgap arrangement should be lauded for the timely advice. The rich must come forward to help the family - KP Rajan
Whatever happened to all those 'yojanas' and insurance schemes the government keeps talking about? What about that Rajiv Gandhi health insurance scheme? Why is the state health minister silent? Mirror did a great job in highlighting the boy's plight, but will authorities respond? I hope, at least citizens do. - Rajesh Barthwal
See pic above:
Top (L): The baby at his Nalla Sopara home on Monday, inside a Rs-150 thermocol box bought from a fish market as his parents couldn't afford neonatal ICU (R) The baby at the Wadia Hospital's neonatal ICU on Tuesday, where he is likely to remain for at least three weeks till he gains more weight
Baby's day in: The baby boy, who is yet to be given a name, was wheeled into Wadia Hospital in Parel around 4.30 pm Tuesday, where doctors found he was dehydrated and immediately put him inside an incubator. His mother, Aruna, said she and her husband Ramesh Chauhan would personally thank every person who has offered help
Doctors, bankers, teachers, writers, activists, farmers, sportsmen, industrialists... the Mumbai Mirror office was flooded with calls all through Tuesday in response to the front page story highlighting the plight of a fivemonth-old Nalla Sopara baby (In need of incubator, this 5-month-old is surviving in icebox, MM, March 11).
The baby, surviving inside a thermocol icebox at home since October after being turned away by KEM and Nair hospitals, must be saved at any cost, the readers said, while offering cash to ensure he got immediate medical attention.
Among the first to get in touch with the baby's parents was Dr Minnie Bodhanwala, chief executive officer of the Wadia Hospital for children at Parel, who not only cleared the decks for the baby's admission to the hospital's neonatal ICU free of cost, but also free hospital stay till he weighs at least 2.5 kg. The baby, born a month prematurely on October 1, weighs barely 1.5 kg and suffers from thyroid-related problems. He is likely to remain in hospital for at least three weeks.
Bodhanwala got in touch with this newspaper and managed to contact the baby's parents, Aruna and Ramesh Chauhan. "They couldn't believe their child was being offered free treatment. We arranged for an ambulance and the baby was admitted at 4.30 pm. He is under the care of Medical Director (paediatric) Dr Yashwant Ambekar and interventionist Dr Sudha Rao," Bodhanwala said, adding the line of treatment will be decided after tests.
By 6.30 pm, Ramesh Chauhan, who works for an artificial flower store in Crawford Market for a monthly salary of Rs 9,000, received around Rs 15,000 from Mumbai-ites. "Three years ago when we arrived in Mumbai from Bhavnagar in Gujarat, we were warned that this is a tough and heartless city. I want to tell those people that Mumbai has adopted my ailing son. Nowhere in the world can one find so much affection," Chauhan said, unable to fight off tears.
His wife Aruna, who had also burst into tears when Dr Bodhankar assured her free treatment for the child, said she and her husband will personally thank every person who offered help.
This correspondent started getting calls as early as 7 am, with people enquiring about the couple's contact details. One of the callers, Sapna Menon from Lokhandwala, has offered free tiffin service to the family, while another -- the daughter-in-law of a top citybased industrialist -- offered to fund the treatment in a private hospital.
"I was initially rattled," said Chauhan, "An HSBC Bank officer called up to offer financial help. Then there is this group of professionals which has offered us Rs 25,000. We received calls from Nashik as well. I appeal to Mirror to convey my gratitude to everyone who came forward to help."
'WHY ARE THE POOR BEING DENIED PROPER MEDICAL CARE?'
The pictures of a five-month-old baby inside a thermocol icebox should shame the civic authorities and politicians. Is it fair that this baby has been left to die only because his parents are poor? Unless we the people come together, the children of the poor will continue to suffer.
Just look at the scenario: an incubator in a private hospital costs Rs 8,000 a day, and the civic hospitals have a waiting list for 200 and above.
I don't think the government system will change. The rich will have to contribute. The only solution lies with the corporate houses, who will have to set up free/subsidised hospitals. - Indira Satyanarayan
I hope India's elite takes note of the Mumbai Mirror report on a fivemonth-old baby surviving inside an icebox, because his parents are unable to afford his treatment. I appeal to the corporate houses to please help the poor in need of medical help. Please practise Art of Giving, and your businesses will flourish further. - TMC Vasudevan
Who is to be blamed for the plight of the Nalla Sopara couple who are forced to keep their son inside an icebox because they can't afford the treatment? It's deplorable that BMC, which wastes hundreds of thousands of crores of taxpayers' money every year, doesn't even have enough incubators to take care of the waiting list in its hospitals. The ward boy who advised the couple to use a thermocol icebox as a stopgap arrangement should be lauded for the timely advice. The rich must come forward to help the family - KP Rajan
Whatever happened to all those 'yojanas' and insurance schemes the government keeps talking about? What about that Rajiv Gandhi health insurance scheme? Why is the state health minister silent? Mirror did a great job in highlighting the boy's plight, but will authorities respond? I hope, at least citizens do. - Rajesh Barthwal
See pic above:
Top (L): The baby at his Nalla Sopara home on Monday, inside a Rs-150 thermocol box bought from a fish market as his parents couldn't afford neonatal ICU (R) The baby at the Wadia Hospital's neonatal ICU on Tuesday, where he is likely to remain for at least three weeks till he gains more weight
Baby's day in: The baby boy, who is yet to be given a name, was wheeled into Wadia Hospital in Parel around 4.30 pm Tuesday, where doctors found he was dehydrated and immediately put him inside an incubator. His mother, Aruna, said she and her husband Ramesh Chauhan would personally thank every person who has offered help
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