Another destitute dies at Coimbatore Medical College and Hospital

COIMBATORE: Another unidentified destitute who died of wounds and renal failure at the Coimbatore Medical College and Hospital was given a decent burial at the Puliayakulam burial ground on Monday evening.
The victim, who appeared to be around 70-years-old, had been lying on the pavement outside the hospital for the past 10 days without any attention."The man's ulcerate leg was infected so severely that worms were thriving on his wound, and flies were thronging him. He was admitted at the hospital in an unconscious state," said P Mahendiran, managing trustee of Eera Nenjam, an NGO helping the old and destitute, who admitted him at the hospital.
According to Mahendiran the man had previously received some treatment as he had a urinary bag on him. "He may have walked out of the hospital himself or he may have been forced out since there was no one to attend to him," he said. It is unfortunate that there is no system in place to take care of such people, he added. It is the duty of the government to step forward and assist the destitute.
According to the doctors at the CMCH, he was brought to the hospital in critical condition. Besides his ulcerated legs, his kidneys were not functioning. Despite all efforts, he died.
This is just one of the several cases reported at the CMCH where destitute people suffer and die due to want of attention. Even though hospital authorities claim to take care of such people when it is brought to their notice, several homeless people continue to suffer a horrible, lonely death. Just this past August, a man was found lying naked outside the hospital.
P Sivaprakasam, Resident Medical Officer, said that it is unfortunate that several unclaimed bodies pile up at the hospital. He claimed that the hospital always provides the best treatment to such people, but since they are brought for treatment only when their health is extremely critical, they often die. On an average, at least 4 to 5 unclaimed bodies pile up in the hospital every day.
Even though these people are given proper shelter and accommodation, they refuse to stay in the facility. Many are not used to being tied down. They prefer to wander aimlessly, said Sherin Philip, social welfare officer. She admits that shortage of manpower does make it difficult to take care of such people.
But the most cruel situation is when aged people are pushed on to the pavements by their own children. The government has to step in and help, said P Manimaran who has helped nearly 2000 leprosy patients and destitute people.