Cancer survivor meets CM, seeks help

It was a conversation that lasted long on the stage. Chief Minister H D Kumaraswamy gave a patient hearing to a child, a cancer survivor, even as he was the chief guest attending an event in the city.

Nine-year-old Nagesh (name changed) walked up to the stage and spoke to the chief minister. A few sentences in Kannada, adopted from a Kannada movie dialogue, this child recited as a token of gratitude towards the chief minister. These lines, when transcribed mean that there is a purpose to the lives of humans and that he would live to serve the people.

It was when he was one and a half years old that Nagesh was diagnosed with blood cancer. A pall of gloom descended over the family as his test reports emerged. Financial constraints were a major concern for the family.

His father, Somashekar, who drives a taxi to make ends meet, met doctors who said he had to be treated in a private hospital, the expenses of which ran into tens of lakhs.

Helpless, this father then knocked on the doors of Kumaraswamy, hoping for some help. "The chief minister has given us a lot of money back then," he said.

It grew worse for the family when the child's cancer relapsed, and he had to be put on treatment again. The child is now undergoing treatment at the Kidwai Memorial Institute of Oncology.

"Although the treatment is free here, there are some out of the pocket expenses for me. I have yet again requested the chief minister for help," the father said.

He explained that although the drugs are mostly available, some of them have to be procured elsewhere, and with the child being on chemotherapy, additional expenses are incurred for his diet. "If there is no blood at the blood bank here, then I will have to get it from outside. Each of these visits cost me Rs 1,000," said Somashekar.

Officials' laxity

Chief minister Kumaraswamy said it was brought to his notice that the establishment of a 100-bed hospital in Kanakapura was being delayed due to the laxity of some junior officials involving in procedural delay. He said such officials would be pulled up.