The hapless father of an eight-year-old girl, recovering from Guillain-Barre Syndrome (GBS), diagnosed soon after she was given measles-rubella (MR) vaccine as part of a Pune Municipal Corporation (PMC) drive in December, has suddenly found himself in a dilemma.On one hand, Sassoon General Hospital (SGH) and BJ Medical College officials are pressuring the 42-year-old Hadapsar resident, Santosh Kamble, to get his daughter, Shivita, discharged while on the other, he claims financial inability to carry on physiotherapy and related treatment at their modest home.PMC, denying the MR vaccination programme’s role in triggering her condition, feels the hospital should keep her admitted till her condition improves further. Shivita suffered a paralytic attack, coincidentally, after being administered with the MR vaccine at her school on December 1, 2018. At SGH, she was diagnosed with GBS. The PMC health department took the entire responsibility of her treatment on ‘humanitarian ground’.However, even three months after hospitalisation, she is still bedridden while SGH authorities are allegedly asking Kamble to get her treated at a private hospital if the family thinks Shivita has not recovered.BJ Medical College dean Dr Murlidhar Tambe said, “The girl, earlier had quadriplegia, has improved as our doctors took a lot of efforts for her treatment. The family is thinking that we are pushing them out of the hospital and stopping treatment — which is not true. This is a chronic condition and she will not stand or walk immediately but will take time for the entire recovery with physiotherapy and other treatments.”GBS is a rare disorder where the body's immune system attacks the nerves. Weakness and tingling sensations are usually the first symptoms and these can quickly spread, eventually paralysing the whole body. The exact cause is unknown but it is often preceded by an infectious illness such as a respiratory infection or the stomach flu.Kamble, who claims SGH officials have harassed him for the past few days, has written a letter to the PMC school authorities and health department, requesting them to continue with the treatment as there's hardly any means of her getting recovered at home. Kamble said, "For the last three months, I am with Shivita along with her mother. The dean has even denied taking my request letter and the hospital staff are frequently telling me to take discharge. There is a risk to her life if I take Shivita home. She is having breathlessness, unable to stand on her feet and cannot walk. She entirely depends on us for her daily chores."Shortly after the MR vaccination in school on December 1, she complained of fever and cold for the next two days. As her condition grew critical and she couldn't even brush her teeth, her parents rushed her to a nearby hospital from where she was taken to SGH. Since December 4 last year, she is being treated at SGH. From the intensive care unit (ICU), she was shifted to the paediatric department, and is admitted in the ENT ward at present.Dr Tambe added, "The family doesn't want to take her home now and wants to keep Shivita in the hospital. But ours is a hospital and not hospice. There are limited beds, which can be given to some needy patients. We have taken great care of her and even given special treatment, which is entirely free here unlike in private hospitals where the cost can go up to several lakhs. There is minimal chance of recovery in GBS but because of the care given, she has recovered quite fast. She was supposed to be treated at a PMC hospital but the civic body had requested us after which we admitted her here."PMC health department chief Dr Ramchandra Hankare said, "The girl will take time to recover and will need physiotherapy and medication. I will speak to the BJ Medical College dean and her treating paediatrician, requesting them to keep her at the hospital. Patients take time in recovery of GBS and the family should have patience. It was just a coincidence that she had been diagnosed with this after the MR vaccination. PMC, on humanitarian ground, took the responsibility of Shivita's treatment."