Ailing Odisha boy Anjeman discharged from pvt hospital, finally

Reported by Chinmaya Dehury
Bhubaneswar, July 21:

The 11-year boy Anjeman undergoing treatment at the hospital under the Odisha State Treatment Fund (OSTF) scheme of the state government at Kalinga Hospital was today finally discharged from the hospital after doctors declared him fit.

The ailing boy has been advised to take medicine for next six months and wear a belt around his neck, his father Ashwini Sahu, a poor daily-wager from Kandhapalli in Bolangir district said.

Anjeman was undergoing treatment for atlanto axial dislocation (AAD), which is a fracture of a joint that supports the vertebrae. A major risk in the case of AAD is spinal cord compression, which can cause severe neurological injuries.

The boy was in news after the hospital authorities pressurised his father to take him home half way through the treatment allegedly because the bill for his treatment had crossed the OSTF limit.

After public outrage over the issue, following in-depth reporting by Sambad, odishasuntimes and strong protests from political parties,  social organisations as well as the filing of a complaint by a group of lawyers with the Odisha Human Rights Commission (OHRC) , the authorities were forced to retain him in the hospital and continue the treatment.

Earlier, the hospital had reportedly asked Anjeman’s father Ashwini Sahu to shift him to some other hospital as it was not possible for them to treat the patient any longer, The authorities had allegedly even stopped his medicines for one week in order to put pressure on his father to shift his son from the hospital.

Desperate to save his son’s life, Ashwini had brought the matter to the attention of the media and it worked.