Northern Indian Hospice Offers to Take Care of Terminally Ill IT Engineer Given Up by All

An Indian hospice comes forward to take care of Manjunath Kalmani, an IT worker, terminally ill, but given up by all.

33-year-old IT professional Manjunath Kalmani, injured in a terrible accident in the US and dumped in a government hospital in the Indian capital of New Delhi, might have found a saviour in a northern Indian hospice.

Dr Abhishek Shukla, founder president of the centre, Aastha, in the state of UP, has promised to provide life-long specialised care to Kalmani.

"The accident has left Manjunath terminally ill. This means that he is suffering with a disease that cannot be cured and the chances of his revival are negligible.

He now needs exclusive medical and nursing attention to lead a life that's free from complications," Dr Shukla says, adding "this is possible only at a centre or institute offering help to the terminally ill, which we can."

Terminally ill are looked after at a hospice or a place meant to provide long term care to those who are totally or partially dependent on others for their most basic daily chores.

Aastha offers help such patients who have very remote chances of recovery and require highly specialised medical support for the rest of their lives.

Dr Shukla said that Kalmani had suffered respiratory muscle paralysis, caused by a spinal chord injury.

Therefore, he can survive on only respiratory support with oxymetres monitoring his cardiac and oxygen level constantly.

He is also dependent on catheters for bladder care and a physician needs to monitor the oral and ophthalmic aspects of his health.

Aastha Hospice, said Dr Shukla, would provide all essential facilities free of cost to Kalmani which he requires to sustain his life and a room where he can stay with his family members.

Dr Shukla, in a letter to the Times of India, has offered to shift Kalmani from Delhi to Lucknow in its own mobile ICU.

Kalmani was paralyzed neck down in a road accident in the US six years ago. He was transported back to India on March 5 after his visa had expired and admitted at the Safdarjung Hospital, New Delhi.

His own family in the southern state of Karanataka have said they are too poor to take care of the ailing man. The Times of India newspaper is championing his cause.

Source-Medindia
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