I will never help anyone again
MID-DAY (MAR 2001)
By Skimmy Gupta
"Now I know helping the needy can mean sheer harassment. I will never ever help anyone in my life," says 20-year-old Vaishali Vishwas, a resident of Andheri.
On March 5, at 9 pm, she was returning home from work when she found a beggar woman Bharti Santosh Kharve (30) and her two-and-a-half-year-old child Nirmala at a station platform in Vile Parle in a semi-conscious state. Vaishali, with the help of another lady Sheela rushed them to the nearby Cooper Hospital.
The doctors found Bharti was suffering from tuberculosis, giddiness, fever, loss of appetite and a head injury. Symptoms of tuberculosis were also seen in the child. Bharti was admitted in the medical ward and the child in the paedetric ward.
Just as Vaishali and Sheela thought their job was over, the hospital authorities stringently told her the entire responsibility of the patients were theirs in the absence of any known relatives or friends. Both were asked to register their names and addresses. After a lot of convincing Vaishali was allowed to leave the hospital at 12.30 am, but Sheela was forced to stay the entire night.
At 1.45 am, Sheela insisted on leaving because she has a small child, but the hospital staff angrily told her, "If you leave, we will throw the child out of the hospital."
A shocked Sheela immediately contacted the Medical Officer and was finally allowed to leave at 2.30 am with a warning that if she does not return in the morning, she will be held responsible for anything that happens to the patients.
When contacted, hospital sources said such cases pose real problems. "This lady will have to be kept in the hospital without any reason because we cannot really start treating her till we find someone who will take their responsibility. We will try to hand over this case to the railway police, but they also sometimes refuse to co-operate. People who admit such cases also often give false names and addresses," a source said.
When asked about her relatives, Bharti said, "I have nobody. Sometimes I stay on the platforms of Dahisar railway station."
Vaishali suggested that they be shifted to a women's home. She added, "My mother is still not talking to me for putting the family in trouble. I am planning to speak to my uncle who is in the police to avoid further hassles. The harassment I faced is enough for me to brand this incident as the biggest mistake of my life."
MID-DAY (MAR 2001)
By Skimmy Gupta
"Now I know helping the needy can mean sheer harassment. I will never ever help anyone in my life," says 20-year-old Vaishali Vishwas, a resident of Andheri.
On March 5, at 9 pm, she was returning home from work when she found a beggar woman Bharti Santosh Kharve (30) and her two-and-a-half-year-old child Nirmala at a station platform in Vile Parle in a semi-conscious state. Vaishali, with the help of another lady Sheela rushed them to the nearby Cooper Hospital.
The doctors found Bharti was suffering from tuberculosis, giddiness, fever, loss of appetite and a head injury. Symptoms of tuberculosis were also seen in the child. Bharti was admitted in the medical ward and the child in the paedetric ward.
Just as Vaishali and Sheela thought their job was over, the hospital authorities stringently told her the entire responsibility of the patients were theirs in the absence of any known relatives or friends. Both were asked to register their names and addresses. After a lot of convincing Vaishali was allowed to leave the hospital at 12.30 am, but Sheela was forced to stay the entire night.
At 1.45 am, Sheela insisted on leaving because she has a small child, but the hospital staff angrily told her, "If you leave, we will throw the child out of the hospital."
A shocked Sheela immediately contacted the Medical Officer and was finally allowed to leave at 2.30 am with a warning that if she does not return in the morning, she will be held responsible for anything that happens to the patients.
When contacted, hospital sources said such cases pose real problems. "This lady will have to be kept in the hospital without any reason because we cannot really start treating her till we find someone who will take their responsibility. We will try to hand over this case to the railway police, but they also sometimes refuse to co-operate. People who admit such cases also often give false names and addresses," a source said.
When asked about her relatives, Bharti said, "I have nobody. Sometimes I stay on the platforms of Dahisar railway station."
Vaishali suggested that they be shifted to a women's home. She added, "My mother is still not talking to me for putting the family in trouble. I am planning to speak to my uncle who is in the police to avoid further hassles. The harassment I faced is enough for me to brand this incident as the biggest mistake of my life."
Labels: City
posted by Skimmy @ January 12, 2009
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