E-Paper
DEO clears child's treatment after media rakes up issue
Raising your voice helps. A four-year-old boy, identified as a child with special needs, was in need of an urgent operation on his foot. Despite several rounds to the office of local district education officer (elementary), the approval authority, nothing moved.
Raising your voice helps. A four-year-old boy, identified as a child with special needs, was in need of an urgent operation on his foot. Despite several rounds to the office of local district education officer (elementary), the approval authority, nothing moved.
After the local electronic media took up the issue, the department sent an official to her home and asked her to go for the operation on Friday itself.
"My son was operated upon at Guru Teg Bahadur Charitable Hospital, Ludhiana, on his left foot in the last week of February this year. After that, we twice went for regular check-ups to the hospital and were well attended to," said Baljit Kaur, mother of the boy Sukhmanpreet.
"Since the first week of July, my son had some problem in the same foot and puss kept oozing out. To get him operated again, a recommendation from the office of DEO (elementary) was required. I have been repeatedly visiting the DEO office, but to no avail."
She added the family decided to take the help of the media, after all else failed. "Reporters from electronic media arrived, recorded our tale, went to the office of DEO and captured shots there. Everything changed dramatically after that," she added.
"The DEO approved my file and Sukhraj Singh from the office reached my house at around 3 pm with a request to take my child to Ludhiana immediately for treatment. I refused because I was alone. We will go tomorrow."
"Hopefully, our sorrows will end on Saturday and my son will be re-operated. The media has emerged as a saviour for my child." She said she wanted to appeal to the authorities that files must not be kept pending, especially those with pleas relating to health.
When contacted for her version, DEO (elementary) Balbir Kaur slammed the phone after hearing that she was speaking to a journalist. After that she did not pick up the phone.