advertisement
Producer: Maaz Hasan
Video Editor: Mohd. Irshad Alam
Cameraperson: Aditya Raj
"It's been over 11 months since I have been lying in bed," Chandni told me when I met her at her house in Delhi's Sultanpuri.
A beautician by profession, Chandni met with an accident on 7 January 2023, and since then, her life has changed completely.
When the accident happened, she was with her mother. Passersby helped them book the ambulance. Chandni was taken to Maharaja Agrasen Hospital in Punjabi Bagh, where she was kept in the ICU for a month before getting discharged in February 2023.
While getting discharged, the hospital wrote in the discharge summary, "The patient is being discharged under stable condition. To review in OPD for dressing."
As per the family, they kept visiting the hospital for the dressings for a few weeks, but Chandni's medical condition never improved.
While speaking to me about the incident, Phoolwati, Chandni’s mother, had tears in her eyes, " For us, seeing this condition of my daughter, it's like dying every day. The driver who crushed my daughter's foot is leading an everyday life, but our lives have been changed completely."
When Chandni was discharged from Maharaja Agrasen Hospital, a bill of around Rs 8.5 lakh was paid by the Delhi Government under the 'Farishte Dilli Ke' scheme. The treatment, post-discharge, cost around Rs 2 lakh, which was paid by the family.
After a few days, I received a response stating that the 'patient's information is confidential' and that a letter of consent is needed from the patient for the hospital to provide any information.
Chandni shared the consent letter with me, which I attached to the email and forwarded to the hospital.
Unable to afford the treatment at the private hospital, Chandni moved to Loknayak Hospital and from there, she was referred to AIIMS (All India Institute of Medical Sciences), Delhi.
Since August 2023, she's been getting her treatment at AIIMS.
I also went to Punjabi Bagh Police Station to speak to the case's investigating officer. He told me the driver was arrested and later released on bail. The police have filed a chargesheet, which will be heard at Tees Hazari Court.
Advocate Shyam Mohan, currently representing Chandni’s case, said, " There have been two cases pending at the Tees Hazari Court. One for rash and negligent driving under IPC Section 279/338 and another for the compensation for the grave injury."
Recalling her plans before the accident, Chandni told me, "I had passed my class 12 exams and was working at a beauty parlour. I wanted to open my beauty parlour, but that’s been halted. Now, I am bedridden."
(All 'My Report' branded stories are submitted by citizen journalists to The Quint. Though The Quint inquires into the claims/allegations from all parties before publishing, the report and the views expressed above are the citizen journalist's own. The Quint neither endorses, nor is responsible for the same.)
(At The Quint, we question everything. Play an active role in shaping our journalism by becoming a member today.)
Published: undefined