By Imran Khan, IANS
Patna : The son of a Dalit couple in Bihar is in desperate need of a kidney transplant. But while his impoverished parents are willing to sell off their own kidneys to raise money for the expensive procedure, they have so far found no takers.
Yoginder Paswan and his wife, Bulbul Devi, residents of Sivainsinghpur village in Darbhanga district, about 130 km from here, say one of them will donate a kidney to their 18-year-old son while the other will sell a kidney to raise the required Rs.1 million.
“We ran from pillar to post to sell our kidneys and even roamed the streets with a poster saying ‘kidneys for sale’, but could not find a buyer,” Yoginder told IANS here.
The boy, Ramsagar, was put on dialysis Sunday at the Patna Medical College and Hospital. He was shifted there Saturday from the Darbhanga Medical College and Hospital after his condition deteriorated.
Yoginder said he couldn’t afford the Rs.1 million needed for the transplant. “We have sold whatever land we had to pay for our son’s treatment in the last few months. Now we are left with nothing,” said the retired employee of Ashok Paper Mills in Darbhanga.
“Only a miracle can save my son’s life,” the mother said.
Ramsagar’s elder brother, Ram Naresh Paswan, said doctors at the All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS) in New Delhi had said last month that only a kidney transplant could save his life.
“We have requested the chief minister, health minister and district administration for help,” said Yoginder.
S.K. Shandilay, a civil surgeon in Darbhanga hospital, said, “The boy’s family would have to contact the resident commissioner of Bihar in New Delhi for medical assistance regarding his treatment at AIIMS.”
Incidentally, Darbhanga is one of the worst flood-affected districts in Bihar this year.