Daily wager’s son gets new lease of life at city hospital

Sameer Singh

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Tribune News Service

Bathinda, December 16

Until three months ago, 18-year-old Jashandeep Singh from Atla Khurd village in Mansa district used to writhe in excruciating pain in the lower back almost daily. He had been suffering from lumbar disc protrusion for the past five months and his condition worsened three months ago. He could not walk properly and even food was served to him on the bed.

Staring at a whopping Rs 2.5 lakh, the amount required for the endoscopic discectomy surgery (slipped disc surgery), Jashandeep’s father Simra Singh could not get his son treated at a private hospital. Simra was deeply worried about his son’s academics as he was studying in BA (1st year) and employment.

But in the first week of November, Simra was guided by a Rural Medical Practitioner (RMP) from his village that he must visit the Civil Hospital, Bathinda, to get his son examined where he could possibly get the operation done free of cost. After taking medicines from the orthopaedics unit of the hospital for some days when his condition showed no signs of improvement, the doctor performed endoscopic discectomy surgery.

Dr Ajay Gupta, MS Orthopaedics at Civil Hospital, said, “Jashandeep is the first patient to have undergone the procedure at the hospital. He could walk properly the very next day after the operation and was discharged on the third day.”

Dr Gupta said, “Normally, it takes around between Rs 2.5 lakh and Rs 3 lakh for this surgery at a private or corporate hospital. Since we have all the required medical equipment/expertise at the government hospital, it is done free of cost here. The patient (or family) just needs to pay for the medicines and a surgery fee (Rs 1,000 as per PHSC norms). All the needy patients, especially those coming from rural areas who cannot afford to pay high cost of treatment at a private hospital, can benefit from free treatment provided at the Civil Hospital.”

A relieved Simra Singh said, “All my worries have vanished now. If he is on his legs, I have no worry for his or my future.”