An endless wait: 1-yr-old with tumour in neck made to wait for MRI scan

One-year-old Vansh has a huge bulge behind his neck since birth, which was diagnosed as a suspected tumour two months ago by a city goverment hospital two months ago.

Since then, his parents, who are daily-wage labourers, have been struggling to get an MRI scan for their baby, to proceed with the necessary treatment.

Vansh, a resident of Vilaspur in Greater Noida, was first brought to Lok Nayak Hospital in Central Delhi in early August, where the paediatric surgery department referred him for an MRI, with a diagnosis of "6 by 6 cm globular swelling", accompanied by a written request by the HoD, to "please give an early date" for the carrying out the MRI scan.

The first date given to him was August 23, which was later postponed to August 28. After being made to wait the whole day on August 28, Vansh was given another date, September 14. But on September 14 again, Vansh was turned away as the MRI machine was reportedly under repairs.

"First, they asked us to deposit a sum of Rs 3,000. We told the hospital authorities that we do not have a steady income, but we were told that the investigation could not be done unless the payment was made. We managed to arrange the funds somehow within a short time. But when we came to the hospital on September 14, we were again told that the MRI could not be done, because the machine was not working," the baby's mother Pooja said.

Vansh's parents were told to come back on October 1, for the MRI. However, October 1 saw a flash strike by the resident doctors after a patient's brother assaulted a doctor at the emergency department on Sunday night. Services were affected, and once again Vansh's parents were left holding their baby, the door firmly shut on their face.

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