Minor turned away by JJ ends with clot

It was a fateful day for sixyear-old Sajid Qureshi after he was knocked down by a bike and sustained injuries. But what aggravated his woes was Sir Jamshedji Jeejeebhoy (JJ) Hospital refusing to provide him treatment over technical issues; the inordinate delay possibly led to formation of a blood clot in his brain.

Syed Qureshi, Sajid’s father, said that his son was playing outside when he was suddenly knocked down by a bike when he ran towards the road. He has been unconscious since then. “As per the doctors, he has broken his left leg, shoulder and injured his head,” added Qureshi.

Ahmed Sheikh, a neighbour said, that after the incident, they had rushed to a nearby nursing home in Nalasopara but they were asked to admit him to a tertiary-level hospital as he required a ventilator. “We rushed to JJ hospital at night; however, due to unavailability of a bed in the Paediatric Intensive Care Unit (PICU), his treatment got delayed by almost three hours,” added Sheikh.

He further said, “When we reached the hospital, they did not even check the child’s files. Later, they asked us to wait and I called his relatives, asking them to reach the hospital. After almost a delay of three hours, despite repeated pleas, we could not admit the child at JJ hospital as they could not manage a bed in PICU.”

“They said that they would admit the child in general paediatric ward.

But warned that if anything happened to the child, we would be responsible,” said Abdul.

“According to the MRI report, the child has developed a blood clot in his brain that is leading to convulsions. The left side of his body has swollen badly and he is unconscious. The child will require ventilation for life support,” said a senior doctor. The child was subsequently rushed to Bhatia Hospital, where, presently, he is undergoing treatment. But Abdul, whose monthly income is Rs 12,000, is struggling to arrange money for the treatment in a private hospital.