Case Study No. 1

42 year old Vinay Bhatia was suffering from Myelodysplastic syndrome and was undergoing treatment since January 2005 at the Tata Memorial Hospital, which has an institutional linkage with the Trust. He was the sole earning member of his family, with an annual income of Rs. 1.31 lakhs. The cost of Vinay's treatment, which included a surgery, was estimated to be in the region of Rs. 12 lakhs. The family had already spent Rs. 1.50 lakhs by selling off their jewellery and was in a position to contribute upto Rs. 5.50 lakhs through personal savings. In April 2005, the Medical Social Worker attached to the hospital referred the case to the Trust, which sanctioned Rs. 200,000 towards surgery expenses in April 2005. Unfortunately, Vinay expired in May 2005 and hence the hospital returned Rs. 100,597, which was the unutilised amount, to the Trust. Subsequently, in August 2005, the Trust wrote to Vinay's wife requesting her to present the original bills of treatment, post which, the unutilised amount of Rs. 100,597 was reimbursed directly to her.

Case Study No. 2

Life played a cruel twist to the Desai family, when their son Kiran was born in March 2005, with a ventricular septal defect. The doctors at Burhanpur, Madhya Pradesh, where the family hails from, referred the case to Madras Medical Mission, which advised an open heart surgery procedure to be carried out on Kiran, the cost of which was estimated to be Rs. 1.80 lakhs. Kiran's father, Ajay, is employed as a screen printer and earns a monthly income of Rs. 2,600 and is the only earning member of the family consisting of his wife and two aged parents, besides Kiran. The Medical Social Worker associated with Madras Medical Mission (which has an institutional link with the Trust) forwarded Kiran's case to the Trust for financial assistance in April 2005. Looking at the financial condition of the family and their ability to contribute upto Rs. 90,000 towards the surgery expenses, the Trust sanctioned Rs. 70,000, thus helping the Desai family in their hour of need and ensuring that Kiran would lead a normal life.

Case Study No. 3

Suresh More, a 42 year old man from Bombay, suffers from end stage renal failure and has been undergoing dialysis at Sir Hurkisondas Nurrotum Hospital & Medical Research Centre, Bombay. Suresh plies an auto rickshaw, earning Rs. 3,000 a month, from which, he solely supports his family, consisting of five members. Suresh was advised to undergo a kidney transplant at the same hospital by his nephrologist, as the only means to lead a normal life. The cost of the surgery was estimated to be Rs. 1.50 lakhs. Suresh had already spent Rs. 75,000 on dialysis and was in a position to raise Rs. 1.30 lakhs, albeit by borrowing heavily from relatives and friends and selling off land in his ancestral village. The financial crisis in Suresh's life compelled him to seek assistance. The Medical Social Worker attached with the hospital (which is a linked institution) forwarded the case to the Trust in March 2005, which sanctioned a grant of Rs. 60,000 in April 2005. Suresh also applied to six other charitable institutions and managed to procure Rs. 17,000 from three of them.

Case Study No. 4

Shalini Jhaveri, a 36 year old housewife from Bombay, suffered a paralytic attack in September 2004, post which, she was unable to walk. She was operated at the Lilavati Hospital, Bombay, a month later; however, the surgery was not successful. Her husband, Dilip, subsequently shifted Shalini to the P. D. Hinduja Hospital, Bombay, in December 2004, where the doctors diagnosed her problem as Koch's spine, for which she underwent a Supra Major Plus Spine surgery. Post operative treatment at the hospital continued upto March 2005, at the end of which, the beleaguered family was saddled with bills for treatment amounting to Rs. 1.25 lakhs. With a meagre annual income of Rs. 42,000, Dilip, the sole earning member of the family of four, was in a difficult position and had to resort to borrowing from friends and relatives, besides using his savings, to pay for the treatment. In February 2005, he applied to the Trust for financial assistance, which requested him to furnish a letter from the billing department of the hospital, stating the total amount of the bill, along with the amount paid. On receipt of the same, the Trust released Rs. 30,000 as reimbursement towards expenses incurred during the course of Shalini's treatment. The family also applied to other charitable institutions and received Rs. 7,000 from them.

Case Study No. 5

Life took an unpleasant turn for the Jain family in January 2005, when their four year old son, Ravi, sustained severe burn injuries, in which both legs were burnt below the knees. Hailing from Buldhana district, Maharashtra, the family admitted Ravi to the Masina Hospital in Bombay, where surgery was performed. However, post-operative treatment was slow and painful. The doctors opined further surgeries in March 2005 and expenses for the treatment kept escalating. Ravi's father, Dev, is an employee with the State Government and has an annual income of Rs. 1.35 lakhs. Along with a modest pension received by Ravi's grand-father, the total annual income of the Jain family is Rs. 2.47 lakhs. Dev is eligible for medical reimbursement from his employers; however, the time for processing, as well as the quantum of the same is undetermined, due to the nature of his employment. The family incurred expenses to the tune of approximately Rs. 3.25 lakhs, which were paid through loans from relatives and friends. Faced with financial uncertainties, Dev approached the Trust for assistance in April 2005. Based on the understanding that Dev would submit all original bills of treatment, as well as the receipt of the amount sanctioned by his employers, the Trust released Rs. 80,000 towards Ravi's treatment expenses. This move was to ensure that bills were not re-submitted to his employer for reimbursement. The family also applied to five other charitable institutions and managed to procure Rs. 60,000 from them.

Case Study No. 6

In this case, the Trust's assistance has ensured a normal life to a child, who otherwise was destined to exist within shackles of her disability. Three year old Kavita Sharma suffers from bilateral profound sensoneural hearing loss, a congenital defect, due to which she has profound hearing impairment and has been unable to develop age appropriate language and speech skills. Her father, Jay, approached Dr. Milind Kirtane, a leading consultant ENT surgeon at P. D. Hinduja Hospital, Bombay, who suggested a cochlear implant in one year. The cost of the implant, which is imported, along with cost of hospitalisation and surgery was estimated to be Rs. 5.54 lakhs. Jay is employed with a private organisation and draws a monthly salary of Rs. 9,000, through which he manages to support his wife, parents, as well as his daughter. Despite this, the family was prepared to contribute Rs. 25,000 towards the surgery expenses. However, as the cost of the entire procedure was beyond his modest means, the authorities at the Hospital (which has recently been added to the Trust's growing list of linked institutions) approached the Trust for financial assistance. Looking into the significance of the implant on Kavita's development, the Trust sanctioned Rs. 200,000, thus ensuring a better future for her. Commenting on Cochlear implants Dr. Kirtane, Consultant ENT Surgeon, P. D. Hinduja National Hospital and Hon. Professor of ENT, Seth G. S. Medical College and KEM Hospital, Bombay, says, "One out of every twelve Indians today suffer from some degree of impaired hearing. Cochlear implants are a proven medical treatment for individuals with severe to profound hearing loss - the number of people is anywhere between one to three million in India. The technology has helped thousands of people to listen, learn and talk since the first multi-channel cochlear implant surgery was performed in 1982. Cochlear implant systems are designed to last a lifetime."

(Names of all grantees have been changed to protect identities)