The Sad demise of my beloved mother (Omana Shivdas)
CANCER PLAYED HAVOC ON HER
I am BARINDAS SHIVDAS the only son of SHIVDAS & OMANA SHIVDAS. After his retirement father settled down at VADODRA, GUJARAT, where my father was engaged in business. After my marriage, (married from Kerala) I got a son and when he was three years my wife and me along with our son shifted to Kerala , because we want
him to study Malayalam as one of the languages. We purchased a plot with a house in it and started living there. Treatment and Hospitals are very expensive in Gujarat when compared to Kerala. We don’t get good Doctors too. When we were at Kerala my mother had an operation at Gujarat, removed the uterus and almost one year had gone without much trouble. While doing the monthly check up they had given a clean chit. Suddenly one day a telephone call from my father to reach Vadodara immediately and mother was to be brought to Kerala for treatment. I did the same, reached Vadodara and brought back my mother the next day. After consultation with some seniors we decided to take her to a hospital at Trissur l, we were not given an appointment saying for the first comers no appointment is given. We have to go and wait from morning till evening and finally at 6.30 PM the doctor allowed us to meet him. The Gujarat operation and the complete results and documents did not relish Dr Chief, and was very pessimistic about the whole affair. He openly asked why then you opted for this hospital?. By 7.30 PM, the doctor gave green signal, she was admitted. We can’t say a word of our own to Dr Chief. He doesn’t like it. Before admitting they made, me to sign an agreement and said there is hope of 50% in my mother’s condition. Same night they had removed a little bit of viscera for testing and that was sent for further checking. He demanded the slide from the Baroda Hospital where the first operation was done. We got it urgently by courier and that was also submitted to the Hospital. They came to a conclusion that chemo therapy has to be done for 8 times. After the first chemo, she had gone really tired and vomiting and loose motion started. However we were discharged and were asked to report after 21 days for the second chemo. Immediately after the arrival at home she had fever, vomiting and loose motion and we took her to the same hospital the next day morning. They refused to admit the patient and said you should contact the nearest Hospital rather than bringing the patient to this hospital. Actually we wanted the Doctors see all the developments after the chemo by the Doctor but they were least interested in these matters. The second, third and fourth chemo were done and had the same problem and the Doctor refused to listen to any of our complaints. The condition became worse and hair started falling too. My mother started feeling very week and could not even walk without a bystanders help. We had a couple of Home Nurses appointed. They were much more disappointing than the Doctors behavior. Finally we had one who was ready to stay for long but their monthly expenses were Rs.15, 000/- and above. After the Second chemo the hospital authorities said two bottles of blood is to be given. I am a new person in the area and in the hospital and around is quite unknown to me. I requested several people immediately. Taxi Drivers and Hotel Staff were there. Doctor Chief will not accept blood from the blood bank. Finally they said you bring two donors. The first bottle will be given from the Hospital and the second bottle they wanted for the stock. One staff working in the same department of the same Hospital however promised to give us his blood. Incidentally a friend from Kaipamangalam Mr.Naushad telephoned and told me that the next day morning a person will come at the hospital and blood will be donated. This has actually happened and the problem of Blood was solved for the time being. We were asked to take C T Scan and that too was done. Third chemo date arrived and we reached the hospital in time and was admitted. After the chemo the same fever and vomiting started and they were not kind enough to look back. They wanted to discharge my mother in this worse condition. Doctor Chief said for admitting and treatment this patient he needs special permission from the management. I did not understand the reason why this is done to us. A patient undergoing treatment for 6 to 8 months needs special permission from the management for treatment for side effects, after the chemo?. This was real news to me. When we are ready to spend money for any type of treatment why we were denied of doctors attention after the chemo therapy. Finally I approached the causality department of the same hospital and was admitted there. Finally we have to open the secret that my mother is a patient of cancer ward and since they refused to attend the patient after the chemo and asked us to take her to any other hospital we were compelled to do this. Finally she was again shifted to cancer block. Doctor Chief said we will discharge her after two days and the doctor was very angry and warned us that he will not attend the patient. After the 5th chemo fever vomiting and loose motion started. We have to admit her at Irinjalakuda Hospital. She was in treatment for one week. Our date of the 6th chemo, a day we faced a dilemma in real life. The Nurses strike in all Kerala level was ruling all hospitals. We reached there in time, but refused to admit due to nurse’s strike. The chemo date was extended for 10 days. Due to this nurses strike and the delay in the chemo therapy the disease spread to liver and other inside organs of the patient. They do not care the life for patient. They wanted the bills to be paid in time. Due to the extension of chemo date the diseases was spread all over and one can imagine the fate of our patient in this condition. But they had no answer to this and were not ready to discuss anything about my mother. The doctor refused to talk anything further. We have to listen to whatever he orders. The date of eight chemo therapy arrived. Actually we do not know what is the real condition of the patient. We almost felt happy that she will recover from this dangerous disease and come back to life. What I suggest to the ruling government is that they should be mone hospitals to treat cancer patients. Cancer patients should be given priority in all types of treatment in all the hospitals. Here private organizations are the only means to treat cancer and they work as their own will and wish. Medicines cost very less in the Government level is given to patients for 500 percent extra. Patients have to buy it at any cost and there is nobody to control this in our state. Actually in India a medicine MAFIA IS RULING the hospitals or it is a game between the medicine mafia and the private hospitals in Kerala. A particular medicine for cancer treatment is sold to patients 1000 times extra than the ruling price. Patients in critical conditions beg or borrow and buy the medicines for their say rates and finally the patients say good bye to the world. Here there is nobody to control this part of hospital business. The mafia rules the entire hospital business and the government. Government can do nothing against this. Government may be getting their share of profit from the mafia and that is the only reason the medicine mafia growing from strong the stranger day by day. Perhaps my mother was passing through that last stage of life. I have never seen my mother crying in her life, but she started crying all along with severe pain. Nobody can bare but we were all helpless. She started closing her eyes for some days continuously but occasionally opened it and watched us. One day she opened her eyes and watched everybody. Perhaps this was the last Glimpses of her towards us and to the world. We all watched these situations without knowing her coma stage still with the hope that she will stay for few more days. On 26th October she started showing the bad signals of last stages. This stage lasted till the next day morning and she passed away in the early morning on 27/10/2013 leaving all of us in the agony of death. I realized what is the meaning of life, perhaps seen all the struggles to leave the world so suddenly and mercilessly. We are all left alone and now we are living without my mother’s lovely pampering. I am a witness to all the last struggles she has to face to leave the world. God almighty may make the death of anybody like a dream and let not be so struggling and troublesome for anybody in the world. My mother’s fight for life and death was really witnessed and I can’t ever forget these incidents in my life.
