Ghazal maestro Mehdi Hassan struggling to foot medical bills

Karachi, March 22: Mehdi Hassan, the legendary Pakistan Ghazal singer, is struggling to foot his medical bills while undergoing treatment in the port city of Karachi.Arif Hassan, one of the ghazal maestro’s sons looking after him during his treatment for sepsis (generalised infection) at the Aga Khan University Hospital, said the costs of his treatment and maintaining his father’s health were piling up.

"My family, which has exhausted even its `rainy day securities`, is now badly failing to foot the treatment bills," Arif was quoted as saying by a news website. The ‘Shahenshah-i-Ghazal’ will need monetary assistance for the rest of his life if he is to survive at home, the report said. Arif said he will still have to pay an amount to the tune of about half a million rupees to the private hospital on account of accommodation and treatment, in addition to meeting other expenditures incurred on Khan Sahib and his family. 82-year-old Hassan, who was born in the village of Luna in Rajasthan into a family of rich traditional musicians, began his career as a radio singer. After Partition, 20-year-old Hassan and his family migrated to Pakistan and suffered severe financial hardships. Mehdi Hassan is universally acclaimed as the finest ghazal singer of his time. His unsurpassed vocal range and his mastery over even the most difficult of raags makes him the undisputed emperor of ghazals. The ultimate tribute to his greatness was from the eternal nightingale, Lata Mangeshkar, who compared his songs to "voice of god ". Affectionately referred to as Khan Sahib, the legendary singer suffers from disorientation. `I, along with other physicians, have been attending to Khan Sahib since 2001. This time we diagnosed him with sepsis (generalised infection) and treated him dedicatedly, and we are optimistic that though he remains weak, he will be returning to his home in two days or so,` said neurologist Dr Aziz Sonawala. Sonawala said that the legendary singer was admitted to the hospital on February 12, 2009, for weakness, fever and chronic infections in his lungs. "Overall he is showing good signs, but he will need 24-hour nursing care at home, even if his respiration is stable. He suffered paralytic strokes in the past and thus has lost his physical mobility," Dr Sonawala added. Arif said though the government had given some assistance to the family of the legendary singer, it was not enough. Arif said that the Mehdi Hassan Foundation (Trust) had been set up some time ago with a view to generating funds. Bureau Report