Mumbai: A 15km run-around between three hospitals was what happened before 62-year-old Naseem Banu who finally collapsed and was put on a ventilator. Her family ran from Jogeshwari’s HBT Trauma Hospital to Cooper in Juhu and finally to Kokilaben Hospital in Andheri, all because the ‘trauma’ centre lacked a working CT scan machine and a neurosurgeon.Naseem was rushed to the trauma hospital in an emergency after suffering a fall with blunt trauma to her head and abdomen, including a head wound measuring 3 x 3 x 2 cm. According to the hospital’s medical superintendent Dr Hanumant Waikule, she was examined by the doctors there, who suspected she had intracranial (within the skull) bleeding. This was a case of a haemorrhage, and the hospital did not have a CT scan to locate it, nor did it have a neurosurgeon to stop it. “We advised them of admission at our hospital, but the condition was so severe that she would have to shift soon because we only have neurosurgeons on Tuesdays and Thursdays,” said Dr Waikule. The CT scan machine at the hospital was shut for the past week after a short-circuit.
Hospital staff informed the family that Naseem could be moved to Cooper Hospital for specialised attention. However, as Naseem was not an admitted patient, the family had to arrange a private ambulance costing a couple of thousand to move her there. In the meantime, her condition deteriorated. Naseem collapsed as soon as she reached Cooper Hospital and was placed on a ventilator there. But by then the family lost all trust in the city’s health system. At a massive financial cost, Naseem’s son confirmed she was transferred to Kokilaben Hospital, where she is in the ICU.
