No hospital beds, ventilator for poisoned kids

DHNS

Bangalore, 31 August 2010: When Parveen Begum decided to commit suicide, she also took a decision to kill her three young children, Fathima Zaiba (11), Syed Junaid (8) and Fathima Saba (6). 

 
She executed her plan by feeding her children fruit juice laced with the medicine Gardinol. When they were finally found in a room, all four were unconscious. Parveen succumbed to the poisoning. But for the children, the ordeal had just begun.

The family had to shunt them to six different hospitals, before they were finally admitted. Aliya, the children’s aunt, says the children were found at 8.30 pm and were immediately rushed to Bowring Hospital. The staff provided first aid by washing their stomach. But as the hospital did not have a ventilator which was essential for Syed, they called Vani Vilas and arranged for the children to be transferred there.

But on reaching Vani Vilas, the family were shocked to see that the paediatric ward was crowded.

“Each bed had three children on them. There was no space, and the staff and doctors were very rude. The doctors refused to even look at the children and asked us to go somewhere else,” says Aliya. By then, even the ambulance had left, leaving them with no choice but to scrounge for an auto late in the night with the three children.

The next stop was Mahaveer Jain Hospital, where the medical staff administered IV fluids, but said they did not have beds. KIMS hospital too claimed they did not have beds or a ventilator. In fact, when members of the Child Rights Commission tried to trace them the next day, KIMS dismissed them saying, “We do not know anything about the children. May be they died on the way.” The family then took the children to M S Ramaiah Hospital. Here too, the staff refused to admit them saying they had no ventilators or beds, but made calls to other hospitals. Finally, they were asked to go to Panacea Hospital in Basaveshwarnagar.

By then, it was 1.30 am and the hospital admitted two children, but could not admit Syed as they did not have a ventilator and his condition had worsened. Syed was refused admission at Ambedkar Hospital too for the same reasons.

Some more phone calls later, BGS Hospital in Uttarahalli said they had a ventilator and finally Syed was admitted at 3.40 am.  Aliya recalls: “It was a nightmare running to different hospitals only to be turned away. If they had not received first aid at Bowring, I don’t think the children would have survived.” Child Rights Commission Chairman Nina Nayak said she was horrified when she heard of the difficulties faced by the family in admitting the children.

“We are planning to write to the Government highlighting the problems faced by the common man in getting crucial medical treatment,” Nayak said.