Tree-fall incident in Bengaluru: Who will foot victim Rajashekhar's mounting hospital bills?

Rajashekhar K V, the 18-year-old student who was grievously injured after a massive peepal tree fell on him on Friday, is now in stable condition. But the doctors, treating him, said that he needs multiple surgeries before he is able to return to a normal life. They said that it could be months before he starts walking or even sitting up. 

The family members, who rushed to Bengaluru from their village in Chikkaballapur, are worried about his long recovery period and mounting hospital bills when they are already deep in debt. Srilakshmi, the mother, noted that she was initially informed that her son suffered a leg fracture after fainting and falling. “We didn’t take it very seriously at first because we thought his friends were simply fooling around. We tried to reach our son’s number but it was out of service due to no recharge because he didn't have enough money to recharge,” she told DH.

It was only when the family saw their son’s photograph on TV did they realise something was wrong. They arranged a car and rushed to the hospital around midnight.

Also Read | Youth critically injured as giant tree collapses in Bengaluru

Rajashekhar was sent to college after the family took a loan for Rs 4 lakhs, a sum they have been struggling to repay. “We couldn’t pay his PG rent for the previous month but he told us not to worry and that he would manage,” his mother said.

The family noted that no authorities had come to offer condolences or reassurance for their son’s recovery. “Rajashekhar’s college friends have been supportive but no one from the government has bothered to show up. We are poor farmers; my husband has a physical handicap too. We don’t know what to do about hospital bills.”

More surgeries lined up

Orthopaedic surgeon Dr Pradeep A Ramesh, consultant at Manipal Hospital on Miller Road, noted that Rajashekhar was stable and responding well to treatment. “I’ve done an external fixation stabilisation for both the fractures, which means that I’ve put pins and connecting rods from the outside to stabilise the fracture temporarily to avoid further blood loss,” he said.

Diagnostic laparoscopy revealed that Rajashekhar’s bladder had burst completely. Dr Mohan, the senior urologist, repaired the bladder and inserted a catheter for passing urine. Rajashekhar also requires a colostomy to pass faecal matter.

After 48 hours to recover from surgical stress, Rajashekhar requires definitive surgeries next week to remove the temporary pins and rods in the thigh bone and convert it to a permanent fixation, said Dr Pradeep. Pelvic surgery would happen much later as it is a major one, he said, adding that although walking is not the priority now, he should be able to in a few months post-surgery.

Who will foot the bill?

“The family can submit a request and we can reimburse the medical expenses according to the Disaster Management Act, 2005. We have done that in a few cases earlier. However, we have to check if this incident will be eligible and approve the request,” said Preeti Gehlot, BBMP Special Commissioner (Forests).

However, sources in the BBMP said that even if the request was approved, the family will not get a complete reimbursement of all the medical expenses.