Relief is finally on the way for hundreds of poor patients who stay on the road outside Tata Memorial Centre (TMC) in Parel.
Relief is finally on the way for hundreds of poor patients who stay on the road outside Tata Memorial Centre (TMC) in Parel.
Following a dna report, 'Ailing and roofless in the city,' on February 4, Rahul Shewale, Lok Sabha MP from Mumbai's South Central constituency, has taken up their case.
Shewale has written a letter to Dr Rajan Badwe, medical director at TMC for cancer treatment, suggesting that the patients and their families can be relocated to Mumbai Metropolitan Regional Development Authority's (MMRDA) unoccupied flats.
Mumbai police, too, are coming to the rescue of the hapless patients. Commissioner Rakesh Maria has assured better security around TMC after evening.
A headcount by dna on February 4 had revealed that as many as 350 patients and their family members wallow in ill-health and infection on pavements outside the hospital.
"Patients and their families undergo immense amount of physical, social and psychological stress. The MMRDA flats in Chembur, which were originally built for project-affected populace in the city, lie unoccupied at the moment. I have proposed that this area be used to relocate cancer patients after consulting MMRDA commissioner UPS Madan," said Shewale.
Thousands of patients throng the corridors of TMC from the city as well as from other states.
A few months ago, a 16-year-old girl from Ranchi, who had brought her 45-year-old mother for treatment, was sexually assaulted by local goons. "Time halts here. We keep waiting for days in a row for our chance to seek treatment in the outpatient department. On other days, we stare at blank space, sitting on the footpath. One night, goons cornered me, brandishing weapons. I had to succumb to their sexual demands to save my life as well as my mother's," said the traumatised teenager.
Third-year B.Sc student, 23-year-old Anil Mutheli from Jabalpur in Madhya Pradesh, has another tale to tell.
He had to drop out of college to ferry his old, cancer-stricken father Chottelal (61) to TMC. His mother Leelavati Devi also come in tow. The entire family has been staying on footpath for over five months now, after they were driven out of Nana Palkar Dharamshala in Parel.
"Dharamshalas in Mumbai, which offer refuge to outstation patients, are overcrowded and often turn away patients and their relatives. At times, they refuse to keep patients even for a single day. On other days, they may ask patients to sleep in the verandah. We managed to stay there for a month, but that is the maximum time any patient can stay there. We were finally forced to stay on the road," said Anil, who has barely managed to save Rs 2 lakh for his father's treatment.
Hotel accommodation in Mumbai starts from Rs 800-1,000 in the central and south Mumbai areas. Many can't afford this.
TMC director Dr Rajan Badwe said, "Our team will inspect the place and take a call about housing patients and their transportation as well as emergency medical aid."
Police commissioner Rakesh Maria said: "I will make sure that police, including women constables, are present there from evening. The local police station at Bhoiwada near TMC and the control room have been directed to deploy men and a mobile van in the area," said Maria.
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