27-08-15
Time : 4 pm
I was stepping out of a grocery shop. I saw a crowd of people 30 mts away. At the epicentre I noticed a man walking around, front part of his shirt and most of his sleeves completely torn.
I thought it was a fight. But I noticed all others only gathered around and watched this man pacing around.
On closer look I realised .... he was Burnt!
Oh My God ! His face, chest, abdomen, arms were charred black! His hair, eyebrows, eyelashes, moustache, nasal hair were singed. A lot of skin had peeled off.
Oh My God ! His face, chest, abdomen, arms were charred black! His hair, eyebrows, eyelashes, moustache, nasal hair were singed. A lot of skin had peeled off.
I ran to him and told him to come with me.
He needed to be rushed to the hospital immediately.
I ran towards my car.
He followed me.
The crowd followed us (I wonder for what?)
He followed me.
The crowd followed us (I wonder for what?)
We rushed to the closest hospital in Greater Noida. On seeing the severity of his burns they suggested Safdarjang Hospital for Burns (opposite AIIMS Hospital, Delhi).
We rushed from Greater Noida to South Extension. During the ride, I asked him his name (Vishal) and soon we managed to make a few phone calls, to his wife (of few months) and 2 friends to come to Safdarjung (one of the largest multi-speciality government hospital in India with 1600 beds).
I asked my friend Dr. Ganga Prasad (Anaesthetist - AIIMS) which would be the best hospital for burns and he gave me pinpoint directions to Safdarjang, if not, we would have wasted precious time in the traffic searching for the entrance to the Burns Casualty.
I asked my friend Dr. Ganga Prasad (Anaesthetist - AIIMS) which would be the best hospital for burns and he gave me pinpoint directions to Safdarjang, if not, we would have wasted precious time in the traffic searching for the entrance to the Burns Casualty.
Vishal was in terrible pain, his melted skin slowly cooking in the latent heat inside his body. Silently he braved his pain. Sometimes he mumbled of the burning but most of the time he thanked me for helping him. Occasionally he wondered thru the pain, of his future life.
Anxiously I kept assuring him he will recover completely.
It took us an hour to reach the hospital. Till then all the air vents in the car were directed towards him, the temperature was dropped to the lowest possible to keep him cool. But the latent heat continued to burn through his body. A typical burn smell filed the car.
Anxiously I kept assuring him he will recover completely.
It took us an hour to reach the hospital. Till then all the air vents in the car were directed towards him, the temperature was dropped to the lowest possible to keep him cool. But the latent heat continued to burn through his body. A typical burn smell filed the car.
At the Burns Casualty .... a short passage led to a small room that could contain 1 bed only.
I looked around for a doctor. I hadn't seen a young lady (doctor) in a white coat seated on one side of the room. "Remove your shoes outside" she yelled rudely at Vishal !
It was disturbing to see such a young doctor talk so rudely to a severely injured person.
It was disturbing to see such a young doctor talk so rudely to a severely injured person.
Vishal walked back outside as commanded.
With his hands and fingers burned there was no way he could have removed his shoes by himself. But the doctor definitely expected him to do it himself.
Unfortunately the young doctor seemed to have lost her sensitivity and sensibility all too soon in this place.
I followed Vishal.
I pulled a plastic chair (the only one that was there), told him to sit, but the security guard snatched it possessively and sat on it. With one leg he shoved towards us an old beaten metal stool that must have witnessed thousands of burn victims.
Vishal stood, embarrassed, while I hurriedly unlaced his high ankle shoes and pulled them off his feet.
Back in the emergency room, the charred metal rings that donned his burned fingers were crudely cut with a cutting plier by a ward boy assistant who had an IQ and EQ unfit for such a sensitive place.
In a country bursting with population, are we so short of sensible people who can be trained to assist in the emergency wing?
Vishal's burns were bandaged (arms, chest, abdomen). His upper body was all in bandages.
By now he was shivering uncontrollably.
Flash*, it was an electric flash, he said, it happened while he was repairing an electrical fault in a commercial complex.
In a country bursting with population, are we so short of sensible people who can be trained to assist in the emergency wing?
Vishal's burns were bandaged (arms, chest, abdomen). His upper body was all in bandages.
By now he was shivering uncontrollably.
Flash*, it was an electric flash, he said, it happened while he was repairing an electrical fault in a commercial complex.
He had sustained 55% burns and the electric shock added trauma to his internal organs. Yet he managed to speak with such calm to his worried wife (on phone) who was yet to reach.
"Don't panic, it's just a minor accident", he assured her bravely.
"Don't panic, it's just a minor accident", he assured her bravely.
4 more burn victims had just come in, and awaited their turn for cleaning and dressing.
All had over 50% burns and all were in pain. But only one patient at a time could be attended to because there was only one bed and one stretcher in this tiny casualty ward. So they had to wait for their turn.
All had over 50% burns and all were in pain. But only one patient at a time could be attended to because there was only one bed and one stretcher in this tiny casualty ward. So they had to wait for their turn.
After 3 hours Vishal was taken on the stretcher to the ICU.
It's 3 days since, but the pain is immense... and miles to go before his pain will ease,
miles to go before he recovers his peace and life continues as it had been.
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*Flash (Electrical Engineering) a sudden undesired electric discharge over or around the surface of an insulator which leads to a sudden explosion of fire through the air.
https://youtu.be/4bBvmPRqfmo
It's 3 days since, but the pain is immense... and miles to go before his pain will ease,
miles to go before he recovers his peace and life continues as it had been.
-----------------------------
*Flash (Electrical Engineering) a sudden undesired electric discharge over or around the surface of an insulator which leads to a sudden explosion of fire through the air.
https://youtu.be/4bBvmPRqfmo
31-08-15
4 days since Vishal's accident.
Thank you calls and messages from parents, wife, parents-in-law, brothers, friends keep flowing in. I am touched by all the gratitude but I state with no modesty, I only did the least I could, and hope for Vishal's speedy recovery.
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01-09-15
Vishal's pain and condition has worsened. Difficulty in breathing. Hot gases have injured the lungs and airway passage. Swelling around abdominal region. Hardly eating or urinating.
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02-09-15
Saddened to hear from his brother.... Vishal has succumbed to injuries.
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