The 23-year-old engineering student suffers from a skin deformity known as the Port Wine Stain
Quayamuddin has been making the rounds of the All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS) for the last one-and-a half-years for a simple laser treatment, but every single time he gets the same response — the Pulsed Dye Laser (PDL) machine, which is used for the treatment, is not functional.
The 23-year-old engineering student suffers from a skin deformity known as the Port Wine Stain. His first visit to the country’s premier medical institute was on February 18, 2015. After the diagnosis, doctors advised him to get a CT scan done.
“It is important to get a CT scan before starting the laser treatment. I got the scan done in April, 2015, and was told to return in May. All my reports were fine and I was declared fit to sit for the laser treatment,” he said.
A Port Wine Stain is a birthmark that looks like a red wine splash. Such marks often look pink in the early years but tend to become darker with age. Port Wine Stains, also known as Nevus Flammeus, can appear anywhere on the body, but are most commonly found on the face, neck, scalp, arms, and legs.
They can be any size, and usually grow in proportion with the child. They also often change in texture over time — early on, they are smooth and flat, but may thicken and feel like pebbles under the skin during adulthood.
Quayamuddin was told by doctors that he would require at least 10 laser sittings. His first sitting was done on May 29, 2015. “Since then, I have been visiting the hospital every three months but the machine is lying dysfunctional,” he said.
Advocate Ashok Aggarwal, who runs an NGO for poor patients and is helping Quayamuddin in his case, said: “I have written to Union Health Minister JP Nadda about the problem, requesting him to intervene in the matter.”
Meanwhile, according to sources, this is not a solitary case and more than 50 patients are waiting for the same treatment. “We have made several calls and requested doctors to help us, but nothing has happened. We have been here for one year now,” said Rani Kumari from Bihar, who has come for the treatment of her five-year-old son.
When queried, AIIMS Medical Superintendent Dr DK Sharma said: “I am not aware of this problem. We have a proper system in place, wherein machines that are not working are replaced at the earliest. Regarding this specific case, I will check with the Head of the Department, and if anything of this sort is happening, we will ensure that it gets rectified.”
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