Mahi's battle for a new lease of life celebrated in GB hospital

If resilience has a name it should be Mahi Banik. The little girl who is still struggling to stand on her own feet celebrated her birthday in the hospital bed at GB Pant hospital. The doctors who put collective efforts to help Mahi pull off the fight for life participated in the celebrations in the paediatric ward.

According to the doctors, Mahi’s story of overcoming multiple complications would be written in golden words in the history of the GB Pant hospital. She had been under treatment for the last five months at the hospital.

“She is the first patient in the GB’s paediatric ward who had been kept at ventilation for two months. After her health conditions improved she was shifted back to the general ward. She is still under medical observation. All sorts of medical care is being extended including physiotherapy to ensure that she can stand on her own feet,” said Sanjib Debbarma, senior paediatric specialist.

Detailing on her medical condition, he said, “When she was brought to GB Pant hospital, the initial diagnosis hinted at Acute Encephalitis Syndrome. Accordingly she was given anti-convulsive drugs and injectables. Despite putting all possible efforts, her condition remained critical. In view of that, she had been shifted to ventilation. She is the first child patient who was under ventilation for sixty days. We have no records of keeping a child under ventilation for more than 20 days. In the meantime, she was diagnosed with Japanese encephalitis. When we investigated further, her mother told us that she was jabbed during the pregnancy but with only one dose of the vaccine. We would like to urge upon all expectant mothers not to repeat this mistake as it could lead to disastrous consequences.”  

According to Debbarma, she had also developed tension pneumothorax which is a side effect of being in ventilation for long. The required treatment was provided and now she has been transferred to the general ward.    

Extending her sincere gratitude to the doctors of GB Pant hospital, Mahi’s mother said, “We couldn’t understand what happened to her. We initially took her to Dasda hospital with complaints of acute fever. She was administered a number of drugs but her fever didn’t come under control. She was later referred to Dharmanagar. Before we could reach Dharmanagar she started to receive fits of convulsion. On reaching there, doctors immediately referred her to GB Pant hospital. For the last five months, she has been in the hospital. She was under ventilation for a long period and also underwent a surgery of the throat.”

The single mother also narrated that all the expenses of the medical care of her daughter was being borne by the authorities of the GB Pant hospital. “I am a single mother. My husband doesn’t stay with us. My father is also not in the position to finance the treatment of my child. All the doctors of the hospital have done a great job to ensure she is fully cured,” she said.

MS of GB Pant hospital Dr Shankar Chakraborty, Deputy MS Kanak Choudhury, other doctors and staff of the paediatric ward participate in the birthday celebrations of the child. After pulling off a great fight, Mahi finally cut her birthday cake lying on the hospital bed.