Two Khar Danda fire victims undergo surgery; relatives struggle to arrange funds

Six members of the Jaiswal family, including two children, were critically injured in a fire in their one-plus-one chawl in Mumbai. Two of the victims have undergone surgery at the National Burns Centre at Airoli, but the family is struggling to pay for the treatment. According to Dr Sunil Keswani, the medical director at NBC, the two patients are on ventilators and being monitored. The family, who have spent INR2.5 lakh ($3,400) at the centre alone, are trying to raise funds to cover the cost of the treatment.

Mumbai: The trouble, it appears, has only just begun for the family of Jaiswals, six members of which, including two children, were critically injured early on Monday after a suspected gas leak led to a fire in their one-plus-one chawl in Khar Danda.

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While two of the victims underwent surgery at National Burns Centre (NBC), Airoli, on Tuesday, the extended family is struggling to arrange funds for treatment of the victims. They claimed they have spent ₹2.5 lakh on Tuesday at NBC alone. Two of the relatives, waiting at the hospital since Monday morning, said they had no money for food and donated blood so that they could have the refreshments they got in return for breakfast.

According to Dr Sunil Keswani, medical director at NBC, Nikita Mahadik, 26, and Sakubai Jaiswal, 65, underwent surgery in which dead tissues were removed and resurfaced with cadaveric skin from skin bank. “Both are on ventilator and are being monitored,” said Dr Keswani.

Sunil Jaiswal, 29, along with his wife Priyanka, 25, son Pratham, 5, and sisters Sunita and Anita had celebrated Mother’s Day with their mother Sakubai on Sunday evening. While Anita and Sunita’s family returned home, Anita’s daughter Viyeshka,7, stayed back at Sunil’s house along with Nikita, a relative. On Monday morning, all six sustained severe burn injuries owing to a fire caused by a suspected gas leak at Sunil’s chawl.

They were initially taken to Bhabha Hospital where they were kept in the intensive care unit. In the afternoon, Pratham and Viyeshka were shifted to the burns ward in BMC’s Kasturba Hospital in Mumbai Central and Sakubai, Nikita, Sunil and Priyanka were shifted to NBC in the evening.

“All of them have deep burns as well as lung injuries due to smoke inhalation. We will operate on Pratham and Viyeshka tomorrow,” said Dr Keswani.

According to NBC team’s assessment, Sakubai has sustained 87% burns, Priyanka and Nikita have 44% and 49% of burn injuries respectively. “Both the children have 60% burn injuries. Sunil has 32% burn injuries,” said Dr Keswani.

Meanwhile, the extended family of Jaiswals is struggling to arrange funds for treatment. While they paid ₹4,000 per patient to shift the victims to NBC. Nikita and Sakubai were shifted from Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) run Bhabha Hospital in Bandra last evening,

“Today, we have spent ₹2,50,000 at NBC out of which we managed to arrange ₹1.5 lakh on our own and friends helped with the rest. Though the hospital has provided complete support till now by giving us discounts, we are trying our best to arrange cash with the help of our friends. However, that has its limits too and it takes time for everyone to arrange funds. Later the amount might be redeemed, but as of now, we are frightened about how we will pay for the next installment of the hospital,” said Sagar Tike, Sunil’s brother-in-law. He said they are also getting in touch with money lenders.

Sunil is a contractual DJ while his wife Priyanka and mother-Sakubai work as house help and Nikita is employed in a beauty parlour. Tike, along with four other family members, including Viyeshka’s mother Anita, plan to stay in the hospital as long as the victims are admitted there.

“None of us have gone home for the last two days as the commuting cost is high,” said Tike, who works as a driver in a private firm. He added that they donated blood to get refreshments. “Three of us donated blood and the refreshments was our breakfast. We do not have money to buy food also. Tomorrow the other two will donate blood,” said Tike.