Palliation – A fight for dignity in life

A reminder of 26/11 of 2012 when we, the volunteers of DNipCare, rescued Mr. Thakur Das, the maggots affected patient from a filthy situation and finally could give little dignity of human life before his death in hospital next day. Today, the 27/10 of 2013 we, Ajith Kumar , Suresh Thaliyaril , Ashish Kumar Pandey and I, were there in AIIMS with our Palliative mission for taking care of a cancer patient. Incidentally, Ajith Kumar and Ashish Pandey spotted this unknown patient sitting near the main Gate of AIIMS where many other patients & bystanders were also resting. Countless flies and creepy, crawly, and slimy maggots merrily eating flesh from his leg was not only a horrifying but a disgusting scene. But it doesn’t seem to have bothered anyone else in the vicinity, not even the security personnel of the institute though people spoke of seeing this man around for the last two weeks or so posing a public health risk as well. 

We the four volunteers started our work by wearing the masks and gloves to do turpentine fumigation to flush out crawling maggots from wounds of his left leg where both big toe and second toe have already been eaten away by maggots. With much effort with turpentine and saline we could to an extent clean and dress up his wounds. By that time the already appraised and sensitized MSSO and Duty officer of Control Room also acted and send the stretcher along with the security personnel to shift the patient to the emergency ward. Finally a sigh of relief or of happiness of making the Government machinery act was there from us as well as the mute spectators gathered around. 

Rejoinder from Ajith Kumar is as under:

A Three Hours Attempt to Cover 50 Metres

Palliative Care is not a mere attempt to bring emotional care but also a forum to take challenges. How much effort we did to take the patient to cover that 50 metre distance from main Gate to Emergency of AIIMS. It is the concerted effort that finally brought a flower of comfort to the destitute Patient. When we tried to clean the patient, he was closely watching the maggots by lifting his legs and holding it swiftly with a sigh of relief..
Let us hope there is no bad news and the Patient may get a life out of it and will be rehabilitated as well..
Ajith Kumar

kv hamza,
General Secretary, DNipCare
www.dnipcare.org
9891008356

 — with Suresh Thaliyaril.