KATHMANDU, August 9: The four-month-old infant Suhan Chaudhary, who was held hostage by Paramount Hospital in Siliguri, India after his parents failed to pay the treatment fees, has been returned to his mother Sharmila Chaudhary.
Mohan Kaji, a journalist who went to the hospital to learn about the case, signed a paper with the hospital administration, promising to pay the child’s treatment dues within 15 days in exchange for the baby.
The four-month-old was brought to Nepal by ambulance on oxygen support and has been admitted to B&C Hospital in Birtamod for further treatment as public hospitals in the region did not have ICU’s for children.
The treatment cost of the child at the hospital in Siliguri had turned out to be Rs 600,008. The hospital administration had taken the child hostage until the full dues were paid.
“We requested the hospital administration to decrease the treatment bill, considering the financial state of the Chaudhary family, but they refused,” Journalist Kaji said. “After seeing no alternative, we signed a paper to pay the dues within 15 days for the child’s release,”he said.
Kaji termed the hospital’s act as inhumane after keeping a four-month-old hostage, sending the parents home to collect the money and increasing the bill day by day. Also, Pintu Rustagi, Senior Manager at the hospital, had even seized their citizenship certificate demanding the child’s parents to pay the money on time.
The four-month-old child was kept on oxygen support at the time of release. The child’s health condition is still critical as the pipe inserted in the abdomen and the urethra had not been removed. The Chaudhary family are not in a state to bear the treatment expenses of their child and are looking for possible help from others.
Sharmila Chaudhary is currently seeking financial help to save her baby’s life. The family had spent Rs 50,000 in hospitals around Nepal, prior to their visit to Paramount Hospital. So far, the family has paid Rs 288,000 to Paramount Hospital, out of which Rs 54,000 was collected through donations. The Chaudhary couple had taken loans from other people to pay the cost as well.