Tata Memorial Hospital: Cancer patients, attendants living in temporary shelters

However, due to the lack of accommodation and the need for patients to stay in the hospital for a long time, it is really difficult for people to find proper accommodation for the duration of their stay.

The relatives and sometimes the patient himself had to face a lot of difficulties to stay in these temporary shelters outside the hospital.

Jitendra, a patient from Gwalior, said, “People give us food to eat, otherwise I have to sleep without food. I have been here for eight months and have been living in this plastic shelter for two months. We don’t have money.” Let us keep tissues and sanitizers to keep us safe from covid. I used to run a mill. Till now Rs 1.5 lakh has been spent on treatment,” the news agency was quoted as saying. ANI.

A cancer patient said, “We have spent 2.5 lakhs on my husband’s treatment till now. We are living here for more than 4 months and facing a lot of difficulties. We have a room in the hospital to spend. There’s no money for it.” Attendant, Sumitra Sah from Katihar, Bihar.

He said, “We face a lot of inconvenience due to lack of rain, food and money. The doctor has asked us to stay here for one-and-a-half to two months. Our son is also with us. We use the bathroom. But we will have to pay for it. Thieves are also roaming around.”

Munni Devi, another hostess who came with her husband from Bihar, said, “We can’t afford to give”. ₹800-1000 per day for one room so we are staying in this shelter. My husband is a cancer patient. We came to know about his illness 15-20 days back and we have been staying here for 10 days. God is in control. We have borrowed money from our relatives for medicines.”

Ranjeet, a volunteer who distributes food to patients and their attendants, said, “From Monday to Friday, we serve food to 70-80 people and on weekends to 100-120 people. The packaging is clean and hygienic. We have been doing this since then. We are in lockdown. We started with a team of 5 people and it is growing. We try to help as much as we can.”