Kota kidney patients seeking euthanasia promised Rs 2 lakh, priority transplant

Kota, Jul 16 (PTI) A day after five female patients wrote to President Droupadi Murmu seeking permission for euthanasia, the Kota district administration on Thursday met their kin and assured them of Rs 2 lakh in assistance raised through donors and a kidney transplant on priority. Five women developed kidney complications needing regular dialysis after delivering babies through C-section procedure at New Medical College Hospital (NMCH). On Wednesday, their kin wrote to the President of India demanding a kidney transplant for the women or permission for euthanasia. The district administration on Thursday held a meeting with the kin of the patients to resolve the standoff between them and the hospital and verbally promised each woman Rs 2 lakh in medical expenses. Pinki, 25, Sushila Bai, 37, Aarti, 27, Dhanni Bai, 32, and Ragini Meena, 29, on Wednesday refused dialysis treatments before they shot a speed post to the president. The five women, admitted in the Nephrology ward of super-speciality block of NMCH, had been receiving dialysis for around 70 days since kidney infection following C-section in May. Kota Additional District Magistrate Vinod Kumar Malhotra, NMCH Principal Dr Nilesh Kumar Jain, and Nephrology head Dr Vikas Khandelwal parlayed with the patients' relatives and agreed to their demands of free and prioritised dialysis, priority kidney transplants, and choice of government institute for post-transplant care. According to the offer made, if the families arrange for legal kidney donors themselves, the transplant surgeries will be conducted free of cost. Malhotra told reporters that the patients were given a written undertaking assuring them free necessary medical treatments, transportation, and kidney transplantation procedures. Medical protocol requires a mandatory 90-day observation period before a transplant. Ragini Meena told reporters that Rs 2 lakh offered was too less as they had already spent much more on dialysis and were forced to sell their assets. Her brother Vikas Meena said the authorities agreed to arrange for the patients' kidney transplants on priority basis and issue special medical college passes for dialysis. PTI COR VN VN