Apathy At The KR Hospital,Mysore
(Please Note : This is To God's Own Country -Part-II. Read the post below before coming to this post)
At the KR Hospital, the Infosys Security Officer saw to it that our forms were filled quickly. We thought that that would assure us of quick medical relief. With every minute passing by, I was having more difficulty walking around. The first step in order to get medical relief was to let a clerk know about my address, father's name and stuff like that. He also noted down what injuries I had suffered. A guy with a stethoscope sat dumbly next to him quietly. For some fifteen minutes I was in that room, I doubt if he ever uttered a word. Later, I understood that this guy who was actually a doctor, did the sole thing of filling the OutPatientDept Forms. The clerk took my left thumb in his hand and pressed it against an ink pad and then onto a register were my contact details were registered. A nurse like a machine was giving anti-tetanus to patients without changing the cotton. I did not take the anti-tetanus for obvious reasons. Well, there is no blood oozing out but still, why take chances? We were asked to proceed to a doctor who I guess was the Resident Medical Officer (RMO). A young chap of about 27, he looked confident and unshaken. While on my way to the RMO, I found a guy sitting helplessly and was calling for help. There was no hospital official to asist this chap. When I went to him, I realised that this guy had hurt his eye. A safety glass had pierced the iris of his right eye. His pants were torn in the accident and there was blood on his body, but the only thing on his mind was about the eye. I held him by his shoulder and took him to the RMO who then asked me to take him to the Ophthalmology Dept. The Ophthalmology Dept was two blocks away and I had to limp for about 5 minutes to reach there. The collapsible gate at the department was shut and I had to rattle it and shout "Koi Hey?"(Is anyone here?). A security guard who was lying on the floor, lifted his blanket and informed us that the doctor was not there. I had to convince him that this was really urgent for him to go and wake up the doctor. It was 1:30 am by then and the doctor was fast asleep. Dr Adarsh emerged from his room. As he checked the patient, I could see that he did not know what has to be done. He kept cleaning wounds on his face but did nothing much. What I thought was a simple procedure to take out the glass from his eye was not that easy. Dr. Adarsh knew that an operation was necessary and that could be carried out only in the morning when his boss comes. He asked me to go back to the registration desk and get the necessary paper work done for this guy to get admitted. This meant ten minutes of limping and 15 minutes of blabber with the officials. Before leaving Dr. Adarsh's room, I asked the patient what his name was. He was Rishdi. That was when Adarsh realised that Rishdi and me were total strangers bound just by a relation of humanity. At the registration desk, people were more interested in talking to officials who had come to enquire about the accident than to me. This place had all sorts of people - the police, the traffic police and even reporters. Earlier, a reporter had asked for an interview and was interested in showing that people from Infosys were injured in the accident. I did not show interest in speaking to him. Finally with the admitting paper work done, Dheepak and me went back to ophthalmology dept. Dr. Adarsh was a helpful guy. He came with us half way to the eye ward. Adarsh said that he appreciated the good work we were doing and I am going to take the credit for doing it(along with Dheepak) because we deserved it. Admitting Rishdi into the ward was another headache. The ward was on the second floor and the elevators were not working. We found that there was no one at the ward and it took another ten minutes to find the ward-in-charge, a lady who was busy sleeping in her room. Rishdi admitted, Dheepak and me proceeded to the OPD where I had to be examined. There were five other Infy guys(from Mysore) and they were proceeding to Apollo Hospital for checkup. Subh too decided to get the checkup done at Apollo and Dheepak accompanied him with a promise that he will be back soon with me. All the Infy guys were relatively less hurt, except for one who had fractured his leg. I could see the couple that was seated in front of me was fine too. There was no news of the ISRO guy who was sitting next to Subh. We did not see him even once after the accident. We are sure he must be fine too, but where did he vanish? During one more visit to the registration desk, I heard "erdu janag sethu" and eventhough my knowledge of Kannada is limited, looking at people's faces and knowing that 'erdu' means 'two', I could make out that two people had died on the spot.Infy guys were taken to Apollo in Infy ambulance and I was the only one left behind. There were some 10 odd people who were admitted to the ICU though. The reason for me staying behind was not only that I had to undergo checkup, but Rishdi was alone and had to undergo operation in the morning at 0830 hours. By the time the RMO checked me, it was 0330 hours. I told him that I had pain in my groins and suspected that to be a fracture. He told me that that I could walk properly it was not a fracture and asked me to get Xrayed just to be sure. He chatted with me for the next five minutes. Shravankumar Singh was from Rajasthan but could speak fluent Kannada. He informed me that he was a postgraduate and had studied in Pillani and Manipal. Shravan then proceeded to ask personal questions like what was my salary, whether I was happy with it, whether I am married and stuff like that. Probably he was benchmarking him against me. To get XRayed was not easy. It involved more paperwork. Now I was not just limping but limping with about 5 kgs of Rishdi's baggage. It was another half an hour before I was ready to go to the XRay dept. An helpful security guard not only kept Rishdi's baggage under lock and key, but also accompanied me to the XRay dept. I had to wake up guys here too. The security guard at the XRay dept did not know Hindi or did he just pretend? I was finally Xrayed and was told that I should expect the results by 1000 hours the next day. Back to the main building, I met the helpful guy who had escorted me to the XRay dept. He gave the baggage back to me and demanded "Chai-Pani". I had to shell out a ten rupee note. Rest of the time was spent on the Hospital bench-alone waiting for dawn and Dheepak. There was nothing to do till the next day when Rishdi was going to be operated and my XRay reports would be ready. Still unsure about whether it was a fracture, I waited for Dheepak till he came at about six in the morning. I stayed awake even as Dheepak lied down on the bench for a short nap of about forty minutes. At about eight, we went to Rishdi's ward where we met Dr. Adarsh. Adarsh asked us to take Rishdi to the operation theatre. At the operation theatre, it was a really long wait before we met Dr. Venkatagowda, Adarsh's boss. He informed us that the operation would involve a few stitches to the eye and then insertion of an artificial lens. Rishdi was not sure what to do and was seeking medical advice from some expert doctor from his hometown. While we waited for Rishdi's parents to arrive, we were asked to get Rishdi's eye XRayed. We stepped out of the poorly maintained Ophthalmology Dept to proceed to the XRay Dept. The operation theatre at the ophthalmology dept had dust and dirt lying everywhere. Personally I wouldnt have prefered to undergo an eye operation in such an unhygienic environment. At the XRay dept, the radiologist kept us waiting for half an hour and at the end of thirty minutes demanded a bribe, which we had to part away with. Rishdi and me then wnet to the canteen, where I spoon fed Rishdi. Rishdi was a brave guy. Even with an injury as serious as an eye injury, I could not see an element of fear in his eyes. Rishdi's friends from Bangalore had come by the time we went to the Ophthalmology Dept again. I briefed them on how to proceed and what things to do next. Rishdi handed over to his friends, I went to the XRay dept to collect my XRay, where I was politely informed that I would not be handed over the XRay since it was a Medico Legal Case (MLC). I was asked to bring the doctor who had asked for the XRay along with me. That doctor had a packed schedule till 6pm in the operation theatre and it was about 11 am then. I pleaded to the nurses over there. I told them that I had not slept for about 30 hours. That did not seem to move them. But then, I heard one of them talking in Konkani with the other. I grabbed the chance and whatever broken Konkani I know, I used it to plead my case. I was given the results in ten minutes. The language card works. The nurses directed the corrupt radiologist to some other doctor, who reported that "There is no evidence of fracture". Our accomodation was arranged by Infosys in its plush campus at Hebbal, Mysore. After about 32 hours, I retired. I had a bath only after waking up. It was a long bath. I ensured that everything was working just the way it should. I got an anti-tetanus administered from the resident docor at Infy. I did not have to limp from the next day onwards. A good 12 hour sleep assured me that I was fine. By the time I was back in office, the news had spread to everyone I knew. I was flooded with calls and visits and I narrated a story atleast a hundred times. When they ask me, how am I feeling, I state that I am fine except for a little pain in the upper thighs, with the groins euphemistically being replaced by upper thighs. I am fine now and Rishdi is fine too. An artificial lens is going to be put in his eyes in about 3 months from now. Till then, Rishdi cannot see with his right eye.
At the KR Hospital, the Infosys Security Officer saw to it that our forms were filled quickly. We thought that that would assure us of quick medical relief. With every minute passing by, I was having more difficulty walking around. The first step in order to get medical relief was to let a clerk know about my address, father's name and stuff like that. He also noted down what injuries I had suffered. A guy with a stethoscope sat dumbly next to him quietly. For some fifteen minutes I was in that room, I doubt if he ever uttered a word. Later, I understood that this guy who was actually a doctor, did the sole thing of filling the OutPatientDept Forms. The clerk took my left thumb in his hand and pressed it against an ink pad and then onto a register were my contact details were registered. A nurse like a machine was giving anti-tetanus to patients without changing the cotton. I did not take the anti-tetanus for obvious reasons. Well, there is no blood oozing out but still, why take chances? We were asked to proceed to a doctor who I guess was the Resident Medical Officer (RMO). A young chap of about 27, he looked confident and unshaken. While on my way to the RMO, I found a guy sitting helplessly and was calling for help. There was no hospital official to asist this chap. When I went to him, I realised that this guy had hurt his eye. A safety glass had pierced the iris of his right eye. His pants were torn in the accident and there was blood on his body, but the only thing on his mind was about the eye. I held him by his shoulder and took him to the RMO who then asked me to take him to the Ophthalmology Dept. The Ophthalmology Dept was two blocks away and I had to limp for about 5 minutes to reach there. The collapsible gate at the department was shut and I had to rattle it and shout "Koi Hey?"(Is anyone here?). A security guard who was lying on the floor, lifted his blanket and informed us that the doctor was not there. I had to convince him that this was really urgent for him to go and wake up the doctor. It was 1:30 am by then and the doctor was fast asleep. Dr Adarsh emerged from his room. As he checked the patient, I could see that he did not know what has to be done. He kept cleaning wounds on his face but did nothing much. What I thought was a simple procedure to take out the glass from his eye was not that easy. Dr. Adarsh knew that an operation was necessary and that could be carried out only in the morning when his boss comes. He asked me to go back to the registration desk and get the necessary paper work done for this guy to get admitted. This meant ten minutes of limping and 15 minutes of blabber with the officials. Before leaving Dr. Adarsh's room, I asked the patient what his name was. He was Rishdi. That was when Adarsh realised that Rishdi and me were total strangers bound just by a relation of humanity. At the registration desk, people were more interested in talking to officials who had come to enquire about the accident than to me. This place had all sorts of people - the police, the traffic police and even reporters. Earlier, a reporter had asked for an interview and was interested in showing that people from Infosys were injured in the accident. I did not show interest in speaking to him. Finally with the admitting paper work done, Dheepak and me went back to ophthalmology dept. Dr. Adarsh was a helpful guy. He came with us half way to the eye ward. Adarsh said that he appreciated the good work we were doing and I am going to take the credit for doing it(along with Dheepak) because we deserved it. Admitting Rishdi into the ward was another headache. The ward was on the second floor and the elevators were not working. We found that there was no one at the ward and it took another ten minutes to find the ward-in-charge, a lady who was busy sleeping in her room. Rishdi admitted, Dheepak and me proceeded to the OPD where I had to be examined. There were five other Infy guys(from Mysore) and they were proceeding to Apollo Hospital for checkup. Subh too decided to get the checkup done at Apollo and Dheepak accompanied him with a promise that he will be back soon with me. All the Infy guys were relatively less hurt, except for one who had fractured his leg. I could see the couple that was seated in front of me was fine too. There was no news of the ISRO guy who was sitting next to Subh. We did not see him even once after the accident. We are sure he must be fine too, but where did he vanish? During one more visit to the registration desk, I heard "erdu janag sethu" and eventhough my knowledge of Kannada is limited, looking at people's faces and knowing that 'erdu' means 'two', I could make out that two people had died on the spot.Infy guys were taken to Apollo in Infy ambulance and I was the only one left behind. There were some 10 odd people who were admitted to the ICU though. The reason for me staying behind was not only that I had to undergo checkup, but Rishdi was alone and had to undergo operation in the morning at 0830 hours. By the time the RMO checked me, it was 0330 hours. I told him that I had pain in my groins and suspected that to be a fracture. He told me that that I could walk properly it was not a fracture and asked me to get Xrayed just to be sure. He chatted with me for the next five minutes. Shravankumar Singh was from Rajasthan but could speak fluent Kannada. He informed me that he was a postgraduate and had studied in Pillani and Manipal. Shravan then proceeded to ask personal questions like what was my salary, whether I was happy with it, whether I am married and stuff like that. Probably he was benchmarking him against me. To get XRayed was not easy. It involved more paperwork. Now I was not just limping but limping with about 5 kgs of Rishdi's baggage. It was another half an hour before I was ready to go to the XRay dept. An helpful security guard not only kept Rishdi's baggage under lock and key, but also accompanied me to the XRay dept. I had to wake up guys here too. The security guard at the XRay dept did not know Hindi or did he just pretend? I was finally Xrayed and was told that I should expect the results by 1000 hours the next day. Back to the main building, I met the helpful guy who had escorted me to the XRay dept. He gave the baggage back to me and demanded "Chai-Pani". I had to shell out a ten rupee note. Rest of the time was spent on the Hospital bench-alone waiting for dawn and Dheepak. There was nothing to do till the next day when Rishdi was going to be operated and my XRay reports would be ready. Still unsure about whether it was a fracture, I waited for Dheepak till he came at about six in the morning. I stayed awake even as Dheepak lied down on the bench for a short nap of about forty minutes. At about eight, we went to Rishdi's ward where we met Dr. Adarsh. Adarsh asked us to take Rishdi to the operation theatre. At the operation theatre, it was a really long wait before we met Dr. Venkatagowda, Adarsh's boss. He informed us that the operation would involve a few stitches to the eye and then insertion of an artificial lens. Rishdi was not sure what to do and was seeking medical advice from some expert doctor from his hometown. While we waited for Rishdi's parents to arrive, we were asked to get Rishdi's eye XRayed. We stepped out of the poorly maintained Ophthalmology Dept to proceed to the XRay Dept. The operation theatre at the ophthalmology dept had dust and dirt lying everywhere. Personally I wouldnt have prefered to undergo an eye operation in such an unhygienic environment. At the XRay dept, the radiologist kept us waiting for half an hour and at the end of thirty minutes demanded a bribe, which we had to part away with. Rishdi and me then wnet to the canteen, where I spoon fed Rishdi. Rishdi was a brave guy. Even with an injury as serious as an eye injury, I could not see an element of fear in his eyes. Rishdi's friends from Bangalore had come by the time we went to the Ophthalmology Dept again. I briefed them on how to proceed and what things to do next. Rishdi handed over to his friends, I went to the XRay dept to collect my XRay, where I was politely informed that I would not be handed over the XRay since it was a Medico Legal Case (MLC). I was asked to bring the doctor who had asked for the XRay along with me. That doctor had a packed schedule till 6pm in the operation theatre and it was about 11 am then. I pleaded to the nurses over there. I told them that I had not slept for about 30 hours. That did not seem to move them. But then, I heard one of them talking in Konkani with the other. I grabbed the chance and whatever broken Konkani I know, I used it to plead my case. I was given the results in ten minutes. The language card works. The nurses directed the corrupt radiologist to some other doctor, who reported that "There is no evidence of fracture". Our accomodation was arranged by Infosys in its plush campus at Hebbal, Mysore. After about 32 hours, I retired. I had a bath only after waking up. It was a long bath. I ensured that everything was working just the way it should. I got an anti-tetanus administered from the resident docor at Infy. I did not have to limp from the next day onwards. A good 12 hour sleep assured me that I was fine. By the time I was back in office, the news had spread to everyone I knew. I was flooded with calls and visits and I narrated a story atleast a hundred times. When they ask me, how am I feeling, I state that I am fine except for a little pain in the upper thighs, with the groins euphemistically being replaced by upper thighs. I am fine now and Rishdi is fine too. An artificial lens is going to be put in his eyes in about 3 months from now. Till then, Rishdi cannot see with his right eye.
posted by Neel Arurkar | 8:23 AM
4 Comments:
It would be nice if we can confirm that the ISRO guy is safe - after all he was the only other stranger in the bus with whom we conversed before the accident.
Risdhie is a fine example of courage under fire. 95% of us wouldnt have taken it so bravely. Atleast not me. My prayers are with him.
Eventhough all the doctors in K.R.Hospital were very good, we had lot of issues with these compounders/nurse and other support staff. Unfortunately majority of the interactions are with these support staff only and so their indifference hurts a lot.
BTW couldnt help noticing that your posts are bcoming shorter & shorter ;-)
Yes. If Subh still remembers his name, we will somehow reach that guy.
This time I just missed the 2000 words barrier that I had crossed in my " How I celebrated my **th Birthday" post. This post is about 1900 words long or short as you say :-)
Hi, Neal after along time. I am rishdi.
Rishdi! How are you doing man!
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