Senior Bhutanese surgeon and Chairperson of Bhutanese Refugee Repatriation Representative Committee (BRRRC), Dr Bhampa Rai, has appealed resettled Bhutanese to extend their helping hands in supporting medical treatment of 46-year-old Arun Rai, who is being treated at Kathmandu-based Vayodhya Hospital.
Dr Rai, who has been escorting Arun since two weeks, said the patient could get his new life if the resettled community decides to extend financial supports.
“So far we have spent over Rs 300,000 already. The patient is no longer in a position to pay for his treatment. This is why I appeal our friends abroad to wholeheartedly support Arun Rai at this hour,” Dr Rai told Bhutan News Service, Monday.
Some of Arun’s friends from abroad have extended their supports already, Dr Rai added. “However, I want to alert every resettled Bhutanese to join the noble cause of adding new life to Arun.”
According to the sexagenarian surgeon, doctors at Dharan-based BP Koirala Institute of Health Sciences (BPIHS) and Siliguri-based Mitra Nursing Home failed in diagnosing Arun’s suffering.
Referred by AMDA Nepal, Arun was treated at BPIHS for three days before he was transferred to Mitra Nursing Home, Siliguri, India.
In Siliguri, Arun was kept under ventilator for a week, where doctors in attendance asked the patient party to transport him to either Calcutta or New Delhi.
“In lack of sufficient funds from personal investment, we were forced to take our patient to Kathmandu instead of Calcutta or New Delhi,” explained Dr Rai.
According to Dr Rai, former member of Students’ Organization of Bhutan (SUB) Arun has been struggling with acute breathing difficulty provoked by central cause.
“Only surgery of spinal cord and neck region could save Arun – which is very expensive for the patient party to manage,” added the surgeon Rai.
It is learnt that the patient party has been bearing a daily cost of Rs 25,000 in Vayodhya Hospital besides medicines and doctor’s fees.
Arun, who is an employee at AMDA-run Primary Health Care Project for Bhutanese Refugees, is being escorted by his wife Neeru, son and Dr Rai.
Editor’s note: Friends and well wishers may submit their financial contributions to support Arun’s treatment through Dr Bhampa Rai (Mobile: +977-984-270-7488). The patient could be contacted at +977-984-279-0278. Donations can also be submitted through Bhutan Media Society ([email protected])
