Tinku's accident

May 2008.

Update (2009): We have been told (unconfirmed) that Tinku has since died, after struggling with his injuries for over a year.

(A short report prepared from Hamara Manch updates is included below. There is also a short report by Institute Works Department on the same accident).

Meanwhile there has been another accident in the Core Lab site where a worker working on shuttering fell down at work and got seriously injured. The worker Mr Tinku, has been admitted in Rama Hospital and had been subsequently operated upon by a neurosurgeon. Some of us went to meet the family in the hospital and talked to the doctor. Briefly, Tinku's injuries were severe; his spine has been crushed at the neck joint and so he is, in medical terms, a quadriplegic, that is, all his functions neck down are impacted  and it is very unlikely that he will regain his normal functioning ever.

Fortunately, the respiratory system is stable (though there was a scare in between when he was taken to ICU, but things are now under control), but the digestive system is impacted, which means he has no control over bowel movements. In addition, there is no control over the limbs at all. The operation performed to put in a plate to stabilize the crushed part of the spine was successful. According to the doctor, Tinku can now be discharged at any time since he is as 'well' as he is likely to get in the near future. What he needs now is regular physiotherapy and a lot of neuro-vitamins, calcium etc. (which is all the medication he is now on).

Tinku has a younger brother who has been staying with him in the hospital (that is his only sibling; his father -- Subedar -- sells rice, and his mother is a housewife). This younger brother and the mother are being taught the physiotherapy exercises so that they can perform them at home (they will be required to perform them several times every day). Once they learn these exercises, Tinku will be discharged and will then be required to come to the hospital only a month or so later for a general check up.

(Note: edited to remove names.)