Hurt in Pak shelling, infant Pari braves odds to stay alive
JAMMU: Fourteen-month-old Pari’s battle for life continued 48-hours after she was hit by shrapnel when her house in Ramgarh sector’s Rangoor village came under attack during firing by Pakistan. Four of her family members were killed in the attack.
However, her family members believe that she could have got better treatment if not for the red tape. Pari was shifted from Jammu’s Government Medical College Hospital (GMCH) to Military Hospital in Satwari on Tuesday, where she was writhing in pain. But Pari’s agony was far from over; doctors at the Military Hospital referred her back to GMCH.
But it was only after a nightlong wait that the 14-month-old was operated upon by a team of surgeons on Wednesday morning.
Denying charges of slackness, deputy medical superintendent GMCH, Jammu Dr Davinder Singh said, “There was no slackness from our side. However, the delay was caused by the decision of her family members as they took a call to shift the girl child to military hospital. We provided ambulance facility for shifting her. However, the doctors at the Military hospital did not admit the child. This caused a delay, we started preparations for the surgery from the Tuesday night itself which was performed in the wee hours.”
Meanwhile, senior surgeon, Dr Tariq Azad who along with his team performed a three-hourlong surgery on Pari, said that, her condition has stable and has shown improvement. “The next 2-3 days are crucial for Pari as shrapnel’s have caused perforation in her intestines. Though we have removed the shrapnel healing will take some time,” added Dr Azad.