Hospital removes tumour for free

Most people earning Rs 5,000 per month cannot imagine getting treated for free at a swish private hospital.

Most people earning Rs 5,000 per month cannot imagine getting treated for free at a swish private hospital.

HT Image

Neither could Rakesh Pandit, 32, who cooks in a private home for a living.

Pandit was prepared himself to camp outside government hospitals while his wife Neelam underwent surgery to get her brain tumour removed. Instead, he struck luck when the Indraprastha Apollo Hospitals offered to do the Rs 2 lakh surgery absolutely free.

Neelam, 27, had started having bouts of severe headache, accompanied with vomiting and fever six months ago. Next, she started losing vision in both her eyes.

“The headaches were so bad that though they lasted for just about two minutes, Neelam would go crazy with agony,” said Pandit.

“I was forced to taken leave from work for over a month. It was a bad phase for us,” he added.

A local hospital referred Neelam to Dr V.P. Singh, senior consultant, neurosurgery at Indraprastha Apollo Hospitals.

“The CT scan showed a big tumour, which was at a critical level. Delaying the surgery further was out of question,” informed Dr Singh.

“So, we decided not to refer her back to a government hospital and admitted her for immediately for surgery under the free patient category,” he added.

The recommendation of the state government’s health department too helped her.

Neelam was admitted into the hospital on December 11 and underwent surgery on December 13.

“We managed to provide her relief without making her spend a penny,” said Dr Singh.

However, although the surgery was a success, the tumour turned out to be cancerous. Neelam now needs radiotherapy sessions.

The couple, however, haven't yet decided where they want to get treated.

“If God has been kind enough this time, we’re sure some help will come up for further treatment as well,” said Neelam.

If you know a family which is below poverty line (BPL), i.e. whose per capita income per month is Rs 612.91 and wants to be treated free, on priority, they would need a BPL card, a recommendation by the state or central government, medical reports showing how critical their condition is.