Written By: Nirmalya Dutta | Published : July 16, 2014 10:20 AM IST
Fifty-one-year-old Kenyan Martha Susan Kabura, who was camping outside AIIMS for the past week as doctors denied her an appointment, was finally admitted to the hospital late Monday night. After IANS highlighted her plight, the half-paralysed Kabura was admitted to the private ward of the neuro- science department at the All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS).
Doctors have assured her all medical help and she will now undergo surgery. 'I do not remember the exact time, but it was late, maybe around 10:30 p.m. I was asked to bring my sister to the private ward of the neuro-sciences department. When I reached there, my sister was shifted to ward Number 3003,' Kabura's sister Beth Njoroje told IANS in halting English. 'Doctors told me that my sister will have to undergo surgery in the next few days,' Njoroje said.
Battling a mortal Neurofibroma (tumours in nervous system) disease for the last three years, Kabura, who has been accompanied by her sister Njoroje, were left dejected when they were unable to get an appointment with doctors, despite assurances.
The duo had come to the national capital July 9. They came to India after Kenyan doctors got in touch with Sharat Chandra, professor in the neuro-science department and a neurosurgeon, who assured them of expert help. When they failed to get an appointment, they made the concrete slab outside the hospital's Out Patient Department (OPD) their temporary abode.
This IANS correspondent found them sitting in the sweltering heat, waiting for a miracle that could change their lives. A member of the medical team attending on Kabura, said: 'Two units of blood will be transfused to her as is also suffering from acute anemia.' When asked why the Kenyan woman was denied an appointment, an official told IANS: 'The concerned doctor was out of town and so the patient was asked to wait.
'We regularly get many patients and its simply impossible to pay heed to everyone's request. It does not matter if the patient is a foreigner,' the official, who refused to be identified, added. 'After all, every patient wants to get treated in AIIMS because of its subsidised treatment and advanced medical technology,' the official said.
When this IANS reporter visited the private ward, Kabura was lying on a bed, while her sister was by her side. 'I hope my sister gets well soon. Had she not been admitted her condition would have deteriorated,' Njoroje told IANS. As their visa expires Aug 10, she hoped her sister's condition improves by that time. Kabura was wrongly treated by Kenyan doctors, which resulted in the left side of her body being paralysed. AIIMS, one of India's premier research and educational institutes, has around 2,200 beds and serves over 9,000 patients every day.
Africa India's next medical tourism frontier?
Several African countries are seeking Indian investment in tertiary healthcare and supply of affordable medicines to its population. Earlier Hussain Ali Mwinyi, Tanzania's health minister had told IANS: 'We require good healthcare for the middle class.' He welcomed Indian investment in tertiary healthcare in his country, especially in the sector of telemedicine, which he said would help reduce healthcare costs.
India is running one such tele-medicine centre in Tanzania, Mwinyi said on Monday at the 9th India-Africa Conclave in which over 900 delegates from 45 African countries are participating. Citing similar needs, Mozambique Health Minister Alexander Manguele said: 'We encourage Indian pharma companies to support improvement of the health of the people. 'We encourage both public and private health sector participation in building health services,' he said.
Manguele said only 40 percent of health requirements of his country were being met now. According to Ethiopian Health Minister Kebede Worku, African countries were facing increased burden of non-communicable diseases such as cancer, diabetes and hypertension. 'We would like to invite investment from India for providing affordable medicine supplies,' he said, adding Ethiopia was importing 75-80 percent of its medicines and 100 percent of medical equipment.
Naresh Trehan, chairman and managing director of Medanta-Medicity hospitals in Gurgaon, near Delhi, said: 'India and Africa need to create a fusion of traditional and Western medicines. 'We (India and Africa) are natural collaborators as we have the same challenges,' he said. India, he said, was planning to train its 4.8 million-strong primary health workers team of Ashas or accredited social health workers to the next level of expertise over the next 10 years.
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