‘Even cancer patients were not spared’
25 Aug 2014 5:45 AM IST
Though prime minister Narendra Modi’s routine check-up at AIIMS on Sunday went as planned, it proved to be the cause for much pain for many patients here. ‘I was sleeping outside AIIMS metro station when police asked us to vacate the area in the morning. I had to walk more than a kilometre to find a rickshaw. No autorickshaw or bus was available. Since, I am suffering from cervical cancer, it was difficult for me to walk all the way,’ said Manju, who has come all the way from Bihar for her treatment at the premier medical centre.
There were 400-600 people who were asked to vacate the hospital premises in the morning. They weren’t allowed to enter the premises before 2 pm. Medical stores remained shut, which proved out to be a cause of worry for patients. ‘We had pressure from the hospital staff to close our shops. I know a patient who was crying because his operation which was scheduled for Sunday morning was delayed due to the prime minister’s routine check-up,’ said Danish Khan, a shopkeeper near AIIMS.
Another patient Omwati, from Uttar Pradesh, who vacated hospital premises said: ‘My mouth is all swelled up and I am in a lot of pain. But since all medical shops were closed, I couldn’t get any medicine. I don’t know whether hospitals are for patients or for the prime minister.
Continued from Page 1 Not only did patients who were outside hospital premises pay the price for Modi’s routine check-up, even patients admitted to the hospital had to bear the brunt.
‘My father was supposed to get his third blood unit infusion. But since morning, the doctors delayed it. Even after telling them repeatedly, they said it would take time,’ said Harpeet Singh, whose father is admitted in the emergency ward at AIIMS. The doctor on duty refused to comment saying they were handling the situation to the best of their ability.
Next Story
