Accident survivors share 'pain' of not having family members visit, claim responsibility at hospital

These two persons apart, there are two more men - Karuppasamy (30) and Ayyakannu (42) - staying at the orthopaedics ward with no family member to claim responsibility.
For representational purposes
For representational purposes

MADURAI: The greatest disease in the West today is not TB or leprosy; it is being unwanted, unloved, and uncared for. We can cure physical diseases with medicine, but the only cure for loneliness, despair, and hopelessness is love. There are many in the world who are dying for a piece of bread but there are many more dying for a little love. - Mother Theresa

Though the Albanian-Indian Roman Catholic nun said these lines specifically in the context of the West, many in every nook and corner of the world are suffering from 'the greatest disease', silently. Even Government Rajaji Hospital (GRH) in Madurai is not an exception.

Sample this: Fifty-year-old welder Arpudharaj from Bethaniapuram, who sustained a leg injury in a road accident, has been in the hospital for the last 40 days. But, he never had a visitor from his family whom he could depend on.

Speaking to TNIE, Arpudharaj, a father of two girls, said that his wife died some five years ago and that one of his daughters is living in nearby Usilampatti.

"When I called her, she said that it would be difficult for her to take care of me and insisted that I stay in the hospital," he said with tears rolling down his cheeks.

The plight of 70-year-old Sheik Mohammed from Nellugundupatti, admitted to GRH on August 24, is no different from that of Arpudharaj.

Mohammed, a widower who lives alone in his hometown Nellugundupatti, said that he lost the contact numbers of his children who are living in Chennai. "I was hit by the two-wheeler. Since my son and daughter are both married, I would be an unwelcome guest for them. It is quite an ordeal to do the daily chores with no family member by my side," he said.

These two persons apart, there are two more men - Karuppasamy (30) and Ayyakannu (42) - staying at the orthopaedics ward with no family member to claim responsibility.

A hospital official said that while some of these patients are rescued from the streets, a few others are deserted by their families when they were hospitalised. "This is a usual scene in the department of Orthopaedics.

Whenever the hospital staff try to contact family members of such patients, either they are unresponsive or behave in a rude manner. All they need is care and support," a doctor pointed out.

An official said that based on an order issued by the Director of Medical Education in 2018, nearly 10 such patients are being shifted to a shelter home in Kodai Road. "However, due to COVID-19 scare, the authorised home has stopped taking in such patients," he said.
Requesting appropriate orders to accomodate such patients, a letter was sent by the hospital dean to Collector last week.

Another doctor said that abandoning people at the hospital are not uncommon. "While some desert due to poor economic conditions, some are unwilling to take responsibility of their ailing parents or kin. To tackle this, a social worker must be deputed at the hospital," he said, adding no government hospital in Tamil Nadu has a social worker to deal with the issue.

Collector TG Vinay was unavailable for comment.
 

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