NGO and hospital help 7-year-old girl fight spine injury, start life afresh

KOLKATA: Seven-year-old Abhishikta suffered from cervical myelopathy with quadriparesis — a severe spinal cord compression that was caused by an accidental fall — and had been in the paediatric intensive care unit (PICU) of the Institute of Child Health (ICH) for almost six months without much improvement. Three weeks ago, she started showing signs of recovery, thanks to the tireless efforts of doctors and the Mumbai-based Ekam

Foundation

, which stepped in to provide financial assistance. Abhishikta has now been shifted to the general ward and should recover in another six months.

Abhishikta’s parents couldn’t afford to bear the cost of her treatment, but before they could lose heart, Ekam Foundation gave them hope. The organization has spread its wings in Kolkata, reaching out to underprivileged children in the City of Joy. In Abhishikta’s case, the ICH, too, had chipped in. A portion of the hospital bill has been waived. Doctors, too, have raised funds from individuals, the state and a few organizations for a Bipap machine, on which she still depends for breathing. But a large amount was still needed to continue the treatment till Abhishikta recovered completely.

“At present, Ekam Foundation is supporting the treatment of at least six children in our hospitals. We cannot turn away critical cases because the parents cannot afford the treatment. By doing so, we will not only be denying a child the right to quality medical care ,but also deprive our post-graduate students of studying critical cases. NGOs like Ekam Foundation are a great help in such cases,” said Dr

Apurba Ghosh

, director of ICH.

Set up about four years ago, the

NGO

has also been working with 1,000 Brihanmumbai

Municipal Corporation

schools on health and hygiene issues. Though it entered Kolkata just six months ago, it has touched the lives of about 30 children.

“In Kolkata, we started with the AMRI Hospitals and now we are supporting children’s treatment in ICH and Tata Medical Centre as well,” said

Ameeta Chatterjee

, founder trustee and managing director of

Ekam Foundation Mumbai

, who set up the organisation with husband Sonjoy.

Chatterjee was in Kolkata recently for a fund-raising event. Initiatives from such organizations have been a morale booster for doctors who frequently face hostility from patients’ families.

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