Thane: A rare conviction by an illiterate tribal woman and by doctors at Dahanu sub-district hospital, in their battle to save her teenage son, is viewed as a small step towards shaking off many stereotypes.
First, the tribal woman, whose son Deepak Thackeray (19) was suffering from Leptospirosis, did not take him to any quack or tantrik as is the practice among tribals, and second, the doctors at the government hospital did not turn the poor woman away.
"Hemoglobin of the patient was just 4 gm, his WBC count stood at 31,700, his SRB and SRC were also not normal and the patient had lapsed into Acute Respiratory Distress Syndrome (ARDS). He was very critical," recalls Dr Sanjay Bobde, the new medical superintendent at Dahanu sub-district hospital.
Bobde said Deepak`s mother did not have any money to bear even the small cost of his treatment and initially preferred to take him home, apparently resigning to her fate.
However, she changed her mind and fully reposed her faith in us. Her conviction moved us and we decided to pull Deepak back from jaws of death, Bobde said.
Deepak was administered higher-range broad-spectrum antibiotics for 12 days, which sped up his recovery.
"We were determined to treat the poor boy in our hospital. I am satisfied that our staff saved a precious life," he said.
Dr Bobde, however, pointed out that members of his fraternity are often reluctant to work in this tribal belt for lack of infrastructure and other facilities.
