<p>The carelessness of a KSRTC bus driver has thrown the future of three-year-old Diya Prasad into uncertainty, after her left hand was severed in an accident on August 9.</p>.<p>Diya’s hand, however, could not be fixed surgically.</p>.<p>Though she was rushed to hospital, it was too late by the time her dismembered hand was recovered. The hand was not brought in its entirety, which made a replant<br />impossible.</p>.<p>Dr Soumyalatha, DCP Traffic (West), along with her law and order counterpart DCP (South) Dr Rohini Katoch Sepat, are both medical doctors. They had rushed to the spot and joined Diya’s father in search of the dismembered hand. As traffic had clogged the accident spot, waiting for an ambulance was not an option. Diya was rushed in an autorickshaw to the Rajarajeshwari Hospital on Mysuru Road. A crane lifted the toppled bus, under which they found the dismembered hand. It was packed in an ice box to Mahaveer Jain Hospital along with Diya.</p>.<p>However, the surgeon who is treating Diya, Dr Kishan Rao K, told <span class="italic">DH </span>that in the absence of the middle segment of the arm, they could not replant it. “If it was a clean cut, we could have replanted it. The elbow joint was badly damaged. An attempt to replant it would later make a prosthetic fitting difficult. Instead, we tried to save the maximum length for best prosthetic options. The child is recovering well,” he said. </p>.<p>Lying on the hospital bed, Diya has not lost spirit. “My hand fell off somewhere,” she said, without a hint of sadness, while her parents’ eyes welled up. Both Rajendra Prasad and wife Poornima are worried about their daughter’s future. Diya will turn four on September 22, Prasad told <span class="italic">DH</span>.</p>.<p>A bionic arm, which can function similar to a normal hand, costs Rs 30 lakh. However, that is not an option now as the parents cannot buy it every other year to fit a growing Diya.</p>.<p>There are various myoelectric upper limb prostheses available with limited functions, starting from Rs 2 lakh. Once Diya becomes a fully grown adult, then the bionic prosthesis can be considered.</p>.<p class="CrossHead Rag"><strong>KSRTC offers to help</strong></p>.<p>The KSRTC, meanwhile, offered help. “We will bear her entire medical expenses for now. We have given a letter of consent that states we will follow-up with her medical care and commit to what her doctor recommends,” a KSRTC official said.</p>
<p>The carelessness of a KSRTC bus driver has thrown the future of three-year-old Diya Prasad into uncertainty, after her left hand was severed in an accident on August 9.</p>.<p>Diya’s hand, however, could not be fixed surgically.</p>.<p>Though she was rushed to hospital, it was too late by the time her dismembered hand was recovered. The hand was not brought in its entirety, which made a replant<br />impossible.</p>.<p>Dr Soumyalatha, DCP Traffic (West), along with her law and order counterpart DCP (South) Dr Rohini Katoch Sepat, are both medical doctors. They had rushed to the spot and joined Diya’s father in search of the dismembered hand. As traffic had clogged the accident spot, waiting for an ambulance was not an option. Diya was rushed in an autorickshaw to the Rajarajeshwari Hospital on Mysuru Road. A crane lifted the toppled bus, under which they found the dismembered hand. It was packed in an ice box to Mahaveer Jain Hospital along with Diya.</p>.<p>However, the surgeon who is treating Diya, Dr Kishan Rao K, told <span class="italic">DH </span>that in the absence of the middle segment of the arm, they could not replant it. “If it was a clean cut, we could have replanted it. The elbow joint was badly damaged. An attempt to replant it would later make a prosthetic fitting difficult. Instead, we tried to save the maximum length for best prosthetic options. The child is recovering well,” he said. </p>.<p>Lying on the hospital bed, Diya has not lost spirit. “My hand fell off somewhere,” she said, without a hint of sadness, while her parents’ eyes welled up. Both Rajendra Prasad and wife Poornima are worried about their daughter’s future. Diya will turn four on September 22, Prasad told <span class="italic">DH</span>.</p>.<p>A bionic arm, which can function similar to a normal hand, costs Rs 30 lakh. However, that is not an option now as the parents cannot buy it every other year to fit a growing Diya.</p>.<p>There are various myoelectric upper limb prostheses available with limited functions, starting from Rs 2 lakh. Once Diya becomes a fully grown adult, then the bionic prosthesis can be considered.</p>.<p class="CrossHead Rag"><strong>KSRTC offers to help</strong></p>.<p>The KSRTC, meanwhile, offered help. “We will bear her entire medical expenses for now. We have given a letter of consent that states we will follow-up with her medical care and commit to what her doctor recommends,” a KSRTC official said.</p>
