Tahir Ahmad Dar (30), a daily wager in downtown Srinagar, was crestfallen when his child, born just five days ago, was detected with a congenital heart disease.
Doctors at the hospital where the child was born told Tahir and his wife Humaira (27) to take the infant to All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS), Delhi, as it needed to be operated upon urgently.
The ongoing lockdown complicated things as Srinagar is among the 170 ‘hotspots’ districts identified by the Union Health Ministry. Many COVID-19 cases have been reported here.
A friend who distributes medicines to the needy read Tahir’s post on Facebook. He called the CRPF’s Madadgaar helpline and sought their help. On Tuesday, Constable Asif ul Rehman, who attended the call, reached out to Tahir and the baby was shifted to Sher-i-Kashmir Institute of Medical Sciences (SKIMS) in Soura, where an emergency procedure was done to save him.
Tahir was told that the cost of the operation would be ₹5 lakh in Srinagar.
“I had no money. After a friend read my post, he contacted the CRPF. The CRPF personnel met me near my home and gave me money to get my son treated. This is my first child… we sensed that there is some problem when the baby refused to take his mother’s milk,” Tahir said on phone from Srinagar.
The couple is yet to name the newborn.
“Since his birth we have been in hospital. After the emergency procedure was conducted we have not met him, he is on ventilator but stable. Doctors say he is recovering,” said Tahir.
Madadgaar (14411) is a 24/7 helpline launched by the CRPF in 2017 to help the residents of Jammu and Kashmir.
Constable Rehman said the baby needed urgent medical attention and arranging transportation to the AIIMS would be difficult due to the ongoing restrictions.
“We spoke to the doctors here and the newborn was immediately attended to. I spoke to my seniors and gave ₹30,000 to take care of medicines and other hospital needs. We are happy that the child is fine,” he said.
