KEM Hospital nurses was Room No. 4 to bear Aruna's name

The nurses at Mumbai's King Edward Memorial (KEM) Hospital have expressed the desire to turn room no. 4, which was Aruna Shanbaug's 'home' for the past four decades, into a memorial of sorts.

The nurses at Mumbai's King Edward Memorial (KEM) Hospital have expressed the desire to turn room no. 4, which was Aruna Shanbaug's 'home' for the past four decades, into a memorial of sorts.

Former-nurse-Aruna-Shanbaug-lay-in-a-vegetative-state-for-42-years-at-KEM-Hospital-s-room-number-4-Kunal-Patil-HT-photo

Aruna, a former nurse at the KEM Hospital who lay in a coma for 42 years after she was sexually assaulted in 1973, died on Monday.

For the nurses who attended to Aruna, it is hard to let go off someone who they treated like a family member.

However, it is a difficult decision for the hospital authorities as it would mean having one room less to treat another needy patient.

"Yes, it is true that some nurses wish that there be a memorial for Aruna. For the time being, we have kept her photo in the room. However, no final decision has been taken on the 'memorial' idea," KEM dean Dr Avinash Supe told PTI on Tuesday.

"An alternative could be to name the room after Aruna and continue with patient care in the room. That way, we won't be wasting a room where patients could be treated," Supe said. The nurses will miss wishing Aruna on her birthday which falls on June 1, a hospital official said.

Aruna (67), who was raped and throttled with a dog chain that left her in coma for 42 years, became the face of a debate on euthanasia in India.