DENGUE A GOLD MINE

Dengue is transmitted by the mosquito. It is sheer hell once you catch it. You have high fever that refuses to subside. Your blood picture goes from bad to worse. Hemoglobin count drops sharply all of a sudden. It attacks internal organs. When the urine output becomes minimal you have the luxury of a catheter inserted into your body. You have no appetite. Food intake becomes nonexistent.  You cannot even take fluids. You are put on saline drip. The fever in the meantime rises to dangerous levels. You cannot walk as you experience severe body pain. The aching joints make you scream. You have to be hospitalized. The treatment is more or less palliative rather than curative.

Thomas Varghese, a gulf returnee, had to be hospitalized when he had high fever. Although he has four children none of them were in the vicinity. They had all migrated to Australia, the Promised Land for ambitious Indians. Thomas Varghese and his wife, Lalitha were content to stay in India after working in Qatar for thirty years. Naturally they were leading a good life, wholly depending on their substantial bank balance. The children and the grand children used to visit them occasionally.

Lalitha took Thomas Varghese to the high profile Lifeguard Hospital.  Like all hospitals he was kept at the Casualty under observation for the whole day. There were a series of tests. Blood and Urine samples were drawn. ECG and  XRay were taken.  Blood pressure was monitored by the hour. A few specialists had examined the patient. Thomas Varghese remained restless all through the day. In the evening the duty doctor called Lalitha aside and told her that Thomas Varghese had to be moved to the ICU as his condition was unstable. It was a shock to the poor woman.    She replied that none of her children or relatives were around and requested them to allot a room for the patient so that she could be of service to her husband.

The good doctor concurred with her view and agreed to admit the patient in the ward for the present. The patient was allotted a cubicle. One look at the cubicle and Lalitha knew that the cubicle lacked space and was very hot. She requested for a better facility. She was told that there was a private room available at a daily rent of Rs.5000.00. No other rooms were available. Exasperated Lalitha said that she preferred to move the patient to any other hospital. Suddenly the official told her that a room at a rent of Rs.2000.00 has become vacant and that could be allotted to Thomas Varghese. She accepted the offer.  

On the third day of admission of Thomas Varghese to the hospital their daughter Sheeba arrived from Australia. She saw that her father was breathing with difficulty. He was not taking any food or liquid. She met the doctor and told him that her father may not survive another day if he was kept like this. The doctor said that he has to be moved to the ICU. She said it was alright. She wanted her father back hale and hearty.

Lfeguard Hospital charged a patient in the ICU Rs.10000.00 per day. They were advised to remit Rs.50000.00 immediately. Thomas Varghese was moved to the ICU. His vital functions were constantly monitored.  He was nasal fed. He was unconscious for a few days. The rules for the ICU were strange. The bystanders were never allowed near the patient. One person alone could visit the patient for two minutes in a day.  Though they were paying a rent of Rs.2000.00 per day for the room they were asked to squat on the floor of the space outside the ICU. The bystander had to arrange for all the needs of the patient in the ICU. Payments had to be prompt for all the tests and the medicines prescribed.

Sheeba had come on a short leave of seven days.. She had to return. She pleaded with the doctor to move her father to the private room before she left for Australia. The doctor relented with a rider. He was transferring the patient from the ICU at the whole risk and responsibility of the relatives. Thomas Varghese was happy to come out of the ICU. He said if they were going to put him back in the ICU again he would prefer that he was kept at the Central Prison.

Soon after Sheeba had left for Australia Thomas Varghese was subjected to a host of tests. Though he was not one hundred percent normal the hospital authorities made him sign a letter of consent to draw bone marrow for conducting a test to exclude a possibility. Thomas Varghese suffered a lot as it was extremely painful. Lalitha was away to arrange funds for payments at the Hospital. She was upset when she saw her husband in great agony. When she asked the doctor why her husband was subjected to the bone marrow test without her consent the doctor replied that they could not seek consent from a person who was at her residence.

Lalitha appraised the matter to her brother who was a consulting physician at Mumbai. He flew down at once and made inquiries. He pacified Lalitha with following remark, “The bone marrow test was done by the hospital to complete their quorum. It is better not to make a noise over it.” The end result was that there was nothing wrong and Lalitha was made to remit Rs.40000.00 towards the cost of the bone marrow test.

Thomas Varghese was discharged from the hospital after a month from the date of admission. He is recuperating at home. He has to present himself at the Hospital for periodical reviews.

Dengue has left him poorer by Rs.2,00,000.00. Thomas Varghese could afford it.

Dengue indeed is a gold mine.