MONETARY CONSTRAINTS may deny 10-year-old Kiran much-needed bone marrow transplant.
Daughter of a daily wager, she suffers from Aplastic anemia — a disease in which bone marrow stops making blood. The girl requires a bone marrow transplant for which Sanjay Gandhi Post Graduate Institute of Medical Sciences (SGPGIMS) needs at least Rs 6.5 lakh.
Humanitarian help came from various quarters, but in instalments — first, Rs 2.38 lakh and then, Rs 4 lakh. Logically, this together makes up Rs 6.38 lakh required for the transplant.
But the transplant could not take place and cannot be done till SGPGIMS has at least Rs 6 lakh in the patient’s account.
By the time, the second sum of Rs 4 lakh found its way into the account, the earlier amount of Rs 2.38 lakh was exhausted in keeping Kiran alive — through blood, platelets infusion and checking of infections. The money was spent in a month.
“While bone marrow transplant is a costly affair, keeping a patient alive till transplant takes place is no way cheap,” said professor & head of the Department of Heamatology, SGPGIMS, Sonia Nityanand.
In response to an appeal by Eshwar Children’s Welfare Foundation (ECWF), all the major contributors — Chief Minister’s fund (Rs one lakh), Sahara Parivar (Rs 60,000) and Modern School (Rs 41,000) had forwarded the cheques/drafts to director, SGPGIMS for Kiran’s PD (patient’s deposit) account. “We now have cheques and drafts worth Rs 4 lakh for Kiran. But, the previous amount is almost gone,” admitted Sapna Upadhyay of ECWF.
{{/usCountry}}In response to an appeal by Eshwar Children’s Welfare Foundation (ECWF), all the major contributors — Chief Minister’s fund (Rs one lakh), Sahara Parivar (Rs 60,000) and Modern School (Rs 41,000) had forwarded the cheques/drafts to director, SGPGIMS for Kiran’s PD (patient’s deposit) account. “We now have cheques and drafts worth Rs 4 lakh for Kiran. But, the previous amount is almost gone,” admitted Sapna Upadhyay of ECWF.
{{/usCountry}}Moreover, allegation and counter-allegations coupled with bitterness is creeping in amongst Kiran’s parents, Upadhyay and Dr Nityanand. While Kiran’s parents are accusing Sapna of collecting the funds but not forwarding the same into Kiran’s account, Upadhyay is alleging that SGPGIMS has wasted over Rs 2 lakh without performing any transplant. All the while, Nityanand is saying she can’t go ahead with the transplant unless Kiran’s PD account has a balance of Rs 6.5 lakh.
Aplastic anemia is one of the most difficult transplants, and SGPGIMS has till date performed the procedure on nine patients, of whom eight are alive.