New Delhi: You could easily imagine Vinod Gupta, daily wager from UP, dismembered by high voltage electrocution, begging with festering wounds somewhere if alive. But philanthropy came to his aid in full measure to make him able to navigate his life that seemed an eternity of hardship. The long enduring culture of charity of Sir Ganga Ram Hospital and philanthropic instincts of Religare Enterprises Limited joined to givenew lease of life or in this case, you can rephrase it as new ‘limbs’ of life, if you will to this maimed for life poor man.
Money clearly was no object in this heart-warming philanthropy. In money terms, this reconstruction, which took four months, would have costed a leg and a hand to someone in any hospital. It was the strong philanthropic instincts of the involved that came handy in resurrecting Mr Gupta without a penny. Mr Gupta was given a warm send off in a ceremony in the hospital on December 14.
Religare Care Foundation, a charitable organisation formed by Religare Enterprises Ltd (REL)took full charge of rehabilitating Vinod and admitted him to Sir Ganga Ram Hospital, globally reputed for its medical charity. Mr Gupta underwent multiple first of its kind surgeries to restore his mobility in the right arm, to repair his skull and to heal his amputated limbs that developed septicaemia.
The occasion was graced by Dr Murali Manohar Joshi, Padma Shri Yogeshwar Dutt, Indian Wrestler and Olympian, Parul Datta, Trustee, Sir Ganga Ram Hospital, Dr Ajay Swaroop, Chairman Board of Management, Sir Ganga Ram Hospital, Dr Rashmi Saluja, Executive Chairperson, Religare Enterprises Ltd and Dr Mahesh Mangal, Senior Consultant, Plastic & Cosmetic Surgeon.Talking to Medicare News, Parul Datta said, ‘Charity is a long-cherished tradition of Sir Ganga Ram Hospital and keeping it up is nothing less than devotion to God for us.’
Speaking at the occasion Dr Rashmi Saluja, Executive Chairman, Religare Enterprises Ltd said “It is a momentous event for the Religare Care Foundation. It has supported the doctors at the hospital in achieving what seemed impossible till a few months ago. Vinod is now walking back home; a feat that was unthinkable when the Foundation admitted him here with severed limbs and a broken spirit. Seeing the smile on Vinod and his family members fills our heart with pride. We, at the Foundation, are determined to see Vinod back on his feet, taking care of his family, and become ‘aatmanirbhar’ to fulfil the dreams of his daughters. We also appreciate the untiring efforts of the doctors and the hospital’s support staff.”
Dr Ajay Swaroop, Chairman Board of Management, Sir Ganga Ram Hospital said “Our hospital has always been in the forefront for rehabilitation of weaker section of the society. Mr Vinod Gupta is another example of our hospital putting its best efforts for this Nobel cause. Besides Mr Gupta, our hospital has admitted 9760 patients from economically weaker section of the society and treated them free of cost. An approximate amount of Rs 50 crores has been spent in last one year on various charitable activities of our hospital. Motto of Sir Ganga Ram Hospital is to treat all with cutting edge expertise irrespective of caste, creed or financial status.”
According to Dr Mahesh Mangal, Senior cosmetic surgeon, Sir Ganga Ram Hospital, who performed the surgery, “When Vinod was admitted here with severe septicaemia, the infection had begun to spread and any further delay could have been fatal. Add to it the fact that we had to regularly monitor his vitals to prevent any untoward events. We took this patient as challenge and made all the three amputated stumps healthy to fit into prosthetic limbs and reconstructed the severely injured, nearly non-functional right hand by Major Microsurgery procedure which lasted for 8 hrs. Patient’s right hand is in recovery phase and will take six months to one year to attain good function like pinching and holding objects.’
Vinod was working as a daily wage worker in Sultanpur, while supporting his six-member family that included his elderly parents, wife, and two young daughters. While working at a factory one day, he received severe burn injuries due to high-voltage electrocution.
