Acid attack victim shifted

Vinothini, the 23-year-old acid attack victim from Karaikal, was shifted backed to a private hospital in Kilpauk from the Rajiv Gandhi Government General Hospital (RGGGH) here after a day, as she was reportedly unhappy with the treatment offered.

According to Vinothini’s uncle Ramesh, the techie, who was taken to RGGGH  on January 28, was not given anesthesia while her wounds were being dressed and she had suffered a lot of pain. “We shifted her to the GGH, following suggestions. When she was in KMC and later at the private hospital, she was given anesthesia. Here, they dressed her wounds without anesthesia and she could not bear the pain,” he said. Most of the wounds have healed, except for the ones in her left hand and in the back of her shoulder, he added.

He further said that Vinothini screamed in pain when water was sprayed to dress her wounds and said that she wanted to leave. “She screamed and said she would die. They then tied her hand and shifted her from one building to another with just a bedsheet to cover her. Her wounds rubbed against the bed and it was painful for her. We shifted her as we didn’t want her to suffer,” he said and added that the woman was disturbed by the noise in the hospital, as she could not see.

Ramesh said that they had received Rs 3 lakh from the Prime Minister’s Relief Fund, which was assured after Union Minister of State for PMO V Narayanasamy visited her in December, and  Rs 2 lakh from the Puducherry Government. “More than 200 people visited her and gave her confidence. We have received more than Rs 10 lakh from people who read the news and came forward to help. We have been utilising that money for her treatment,” Ramesh said.

With hopes that her vision would be restored, her family has decided to approach eye hospitals. “She’s very confident that she will get back her eyesight. But doctors both at KMC and GGH said there was no chance of her regaining vision and that an artificial eye would be placed. We are inquiring with eye hospitals,” Ramesh said, adding that she would be in the private hospital for a month and would take two months rest at home, before going in for a reconstructive surgery.

However, RGGGH doctors denied the claims. “Almost 90 per cent of the wounds have healed. There was only an open wound on her left shoulder. We gave her anesthesia, but it was optimum and is recorded in the case sheets. Moreover, the bandages were loose and not sticking to her wounds. She screamed when we removed it. The family wanted to leave,” said Dr Gopinath, head of Department of Plastic and Reconstructive surgery, RGGGH.