Mrs. Candy (pseudonym of course) is desperately ill.
We wish we could look after her here at the JSK Community Care Centre - but Sheba is away for a month in Raxaul and we do not have round-the-clock medical supervision.
So our staff admitted her in the main govt. hospital in Thane - the 'Civil Hospital.'
This afternoon we find out that they are on strike.
About what we don't know. And in a way we don't care. The horrible fact is that the govt. hospital is shutting down again.
Our staff have been told to take Mrs. Candy away.
Mrs. Candy is a widow. Her teenage daughter 'married' 2 years ago and has an infant in her arms.
What to do?
We are trying to organise an ambulance to take Mrs. Candy to the main govt. hospital in South Mumbai.
Peter and the staff are in crisis mode. Charting out the plan. Contacting the ambulance. But then they hit a roadblock.
Mrs. Candy's daughter 'Meena'.
Our staff have been trying to contact the girl - but Meena is nowhere to be found.
Without any family member we just cannot send Mrs. Candy to another hospital. Death is very close to all of our patients.
And so we have ratcheted down our response. We will wait till tomorrow. If Meena emerges - we will help get Mrs. Candy to JJ hospital.
If not? She will probably have to go home to her small shack.
Our staff will do the home-care that we have been doing for the past decade. Looking after those who do not exist in the eyes of others.
Caring for a dying woman in her tiny shack in Thane - perched at the edge of the great glittering city of Mumbai
We wish we could look after her here at the JSK Community Care Centre - but Sheba is away for a month in Raxaul and we do not have round-the-clock medical supervision.
So our staff admitted her in the main govt. hospital in Thane - the 'Civil Hospital.'
This afternoon we find out that they are on strike.
About what we don't know. And in a way we don't care. The horrible fact is that the govt. hospital is shutting down again.
Our staff have been told to take Mrs. Candy away.
Mrs. Candy is a widow. Her teenage daughter 'married' 2 years ago and has an infant in her arms.
What to do?
We are trying to organise an ambulance to take Mrs. Candy to the main govt. hospital in South Mumbai.
Peter and the staff are in crisis mode. Charting out the plan. Contacting the ambulance. But then they hit a roadblock.
Mrs. Candy's daughter 'Meena'.
Our staff have been trying to contact the girl - but Meena is nowhere to be found.
Without any family member we just cannot send Mrs. Candy to another hospital. Death is very close to all of our patients.
And so we have ratcheted down our response. We will wait till tomorrow. If Meena emerges - we will help get Mrs. Candy to JJ hospital.
If not? She will probably have to go home to her small shack.
Our staff will do the home-care that we have been doing for the past decade. Looking after those who do not exist in the eyes of others.
Caring for a dying woman in her tiny shack in Thane - perched at the edge of the great glittering city of Mumbai
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