Rs 10 lakh swine flu jhatka

Family has spent all its gold and savings to treat breadwinner; now they plan to mortgage home, sell car to settle hospital bills

Family has spent all its gold and savings to treat breadwinner; now they plan to mortgage home, sell car to settle hospital bills

Businessman Pradeep Rekhyani (47), is unaware that all his savings and family jewellery have been spent on treating him for swine flu over the last 32 days. And the next to go are his Santro and the flat at Patliputra in Andheri.

His family has already spent Rs 5 lakh on his treatment, with Rs 4.76 lakh still pending in bills.

Rekhyani's meagre Rs 1 lakh health insurance cover was exhausted in the first few days of the treatment.

"We have already spent Rs 5 lakh, and used up all our savings, sold all our gold and even borrowed from relatives," said Karan (18), Rekhyani's son.

Why the high cost

Rekhyani had earlier been admitted to the ICU of Orbit Hospital in Mira Road on August 26, where he tested positive for swine flu.

Debt Trap: Pradeep Rekhyani has been in hospital for over a month

On September 20, he was shifted to the isolation ward of a private hospital in Andheri, as Orbit does not have a swine flu treating facility.

"By the time we moved him to the hospital in Andheri, both his lungs were infected and he had difficulty breathing.

He is a diabetic and this made matters worse.u00a0 We did not want to admit him to a government hospital in such a condition. The private hospital is way beyond our means, but he is improving," Karan added.

Other cases

The family of 27-year-old Urvashi Singh, who succumbed to swine flu on September 6 at Bombay Hospital, had it even tougher than the Rekhyanis.
u00a0
Her husband, a school teacher, had to borrow Rs 5 lakh to treat her. "We shifted her to a private hospital and paid Rs 45,000 a day, because the treatment at the public hospital was not up to the mark.

We have lost her and the hospital bills have destroyed him," said Urvashi's brother Om Prakash.

Urvashi's family had a tough time even arranging the initial deposit of Rs 10,000. "Her husband went through hell.

Helpless: Pradeep Rekhyani tested positive for swine flu on u00a0August 26.

To add to his troubles, he also has an existing loan. The family had recently purchased a new house. That loan remains unpaid. Now, with these expenses, it will only get tougher for him," said Om Prakash.

India toll reaches 298

Four swine flu-related deaths were reported across the country yesterday while another four suspected deaths were confirmed as having caused by the pandemic, taking the countrywide toll to 298.

Also, 189 fresh swine flu cases were confirmed during lab tests. Of these, four cases are imported while the others are indigenous.

Of the four deaths, Karnataka reported two, while one person each died in Gujarat and Uttar Pradesh.

With the latest reports, the all-India cumulative swine flu death figure has reached 298, while lab confirmed total cases for swine flu now stand at 9,694.

A total of 38,224 passengers were screened for swine flu at 22 airports across the country.

Piling Bills

Rs 1.8 lakh
The total value of Rekhyani family's jewellery sold to pay hospital bills

Rs 4.76 lakh
What the Rekhyanis owe to the private hospital where u00a0he is being treated for u00a0swine flu

Rs 5 lakh
The amount the Rekhyanis have paid so far in hospital bills

Rs 2 lakh
What the family has incurred as room charges

Rs 40,000
Amount incurred as doctors' charges