Ansel Chettiar: Protestors join parent’s fight over discharge of 7-year-old

The parents – Philip and Philomena – claim that Ansel, the youngest of the two children of the couple, went into a vegetative state because of medical negligence at the hospital during a minor surgery he underwent on November 3, 2021.

Mumbai: Row over the discharge of Ansel Chettiar, 7, continued for the fifth day between Kokilaben Dhirubhai Ambani Hospital (KDAH) and his parents as close to 50 representatives of Bombay Catholic Sabha (BCS) held a demonstration outside the hospital on Friday requesting them not to discharge Ansel, who continues to be in a vegetative state.

Around 50 representatives of Bombay Catholic Sabha protested outside Kokilaben Dhirubhai Ambani Hospital. (Bhushan Koyande/HT Photo)

“The parents are not able to comprehend the situation. The hospital on October 17 evening had agreed that our representative along with Ansel’s parents, who are BCS’s members, will meet today,” said Dolphy D’souza, president, BCS.

He added that they refused entry and met the parents and continued with their stand on discharging him.

D’souza said they are exploring legal options too. Meanwhile, the parents have written to the hospital asking them for medical documents.

The parents – Philip and Philomena – claim that Ansel, the youngest of the two children of the couple, went into a vegetative state because of medical negligence at the hospital during a minor surgery he underwent on November 3, 2021.

While Ansel has been in the hospital for close to a year, on October 17, the hospital management approached the family asking them to take him home. The hospital said his condition is not amenable to further improvement. With parents refusing to take Ansel home in a vegetative condition, the hospital then approached the police claiming the parents had abandoned the child.

The day-long- drama, where Ansel was kept in an ambulance for allegedly five hours in the hospital’s basement after KDAH forcibly discharged him, ended after Versova police intervened and asked for amicable resolution of the issue by organising a meeting on Friday.

“A senior person from the hospital management met us for 20 mins and stuck to the point that we should take Ansel home,” said Philip. “They showed us the discharge papers of Ansel which were signed on October 17. We also want to take Ansel home but not in this state. The hospital has to give our healthy Ansel back.”

He used to run a small pan-bidi shop in Goregaon that he had to shut down because he and his wife spent their time in the hospital beside Ansel for the last year.

Ansel had undescended testis for which he underwent a 30-minute-long surgery. “Post-surgery, Ansel developed swelling in the brain and other complications. He was taken up for brain surgery on November 8, 2021. He has been in a coma since then,” said Jacinta, his aunt.

When contacted, KDAH management said they had a meeting with the parents wherein they tried counselling them to take Ansel home as they have done their best and every possible clinical attempt. The hospital said they will continue to counsel the parents for Ansel’s discharge.