When Ganapathy took his 18-year-old son Rajendra Prasad to the Government Hospital in Madurai, he was expecting to return home with his son hale and hearty. However, a few hours later, he was left clutching his son's dead body. All because he refused to bribe the hospital staff.

WHAT HAPPENED



On May 2, Ganapathy's son Rajendra had a fit of convulsions and complained of difficulty in breathing. Ganapathy rushed him to the Government Hospital which handles 26.8 lakh patients in a year.

At the hospital, Rajendra was moved to the casualty ward around 10am where he received first-aid. After that Ganapathy and Rajendra had to wait for nearly 20 minutes to get his admission receipt to the emergency ward. That's where Ganapathy's ordeal began.

Soon after Ganapathy got his son's admission receipt, a worker demanded Rs 300 to push Rajendra's stretcher into the emergency ward. Ganapathy refused to pay the amount thinking it would amount to a bribe. At that, the worker left the stretcher there and walked away with Rajendra's admission slip.

Not knowing what to do, Ganapathy moved his son to a bed closeby. A few minutes later, his son began bleeding from the mouth. Ganapathy trembled as his son went into uncontrollable seizures. When he asked the ward doctor to check on his son, the doctor refused to help as Ganapathy did not have Rajendra's admission slip.

"When I approached the ward doctor to help my son who was spouting blood from his mouth, he said that it's only blood and asked me to wipe it myself," recalls Ganapathy.

Ganapathy pulled himself together and rushed to the police outpost and sought help from a sub-inspector to locate the worker. Another worker named Pandi, who heard what had happened offered to help Ganapathy and went in search for the admission receipt. By the time he returned with the admission receipt, Rajendra Prasad was dead.

"I roamed the corridors blindly in search of that worker who had my son's admission slip. I really did not have money and for that I lost my son", said Ganapathy.

Ganapathy's ordeal did not end there. Rajendra Prasad's body was moved to the morgue. After finishing the formalities, when Ganapathy went to the morgue to collect his son's body, the workers at the mortuary gate demanded Rs 100 for a gate pass which he paid reluctantly.

And then a woman employee wanted Rs 200 to bring the body out on a stretcher. Ganapathy did not have that much money and with tears in his eyes told her that he had only Rs 80. She grabbed it and brought the body out.

The last man to demand a bribe from Ganapathy was the ambulance driver who wanted Rs 500 to drive Rajendra Prasad's body to the cremation grounds.

HOSPITAL IN DENIAL



Dr MR Vairamuthur Raju, the dean of Rajaji Government Hospital had later said that the worker who demanded Rs 300 as bribe was not part of the hospital staff. "If that's the case, how did he have access to a stretcher and how did the other workers knew him well?" asked Ganapathy.

Rajendra Prasad was the sole bread winner of the family. He was working in a DTP center and was all of 18-years-old when he died. "He was working hard and supported our family," said Ganapathy.

Dr Radhakrishnan, Health Secretary to Tamil Nadu Government said the accused Pal Pandi was a former employee of the hospital and was allegedly working as a broker. "We initiated a detailed enquiry into the matter and have asked the police to detain Pal Pandi who tried to act as a broker. Please remember the fact Tamil Nadu is the only state that the provides free treatment and when such matter comes to our attention, we take stringent action".

But what about the present staffers who demanded bribe to release Rajendra Prasad's body?

Ganapathy has filed a petition with Chief Minister's cell and is waiting for delayed justice.