Srinagar, July 24: Since June 26, when Zaid Bin Riyaz was born, the infant is not keeping well and his parents have been changing the medical treatment simply because the doctors couldn’t be consulted for follow-up given the curfew and other restrictions in the volatile Shahr-e-Khaas.
 A month on, the family has changed consultation of four doctors apart from his hospitalization at SK Institute of Medical Sciences Soura. But their only child is yet to recover.
 His health is more of concern for the family as last year their earlier issue, a baby boy died just 10 days after his birth.
 As for Zaid, he has been suffering multiple ailments. “For the first week he suffered jaundice after which some other ailments like severe chest congestion popped up,” says his father Riyaz Ahmed Wani, a 30 year-old man from Nowhatta.
 For Zaid’s delivery, the mother had to undergo a caesarian at SKIMS Medical College Hospital at Bemina. Those days the City was simmering against the killing of teenager Tufail Ahmed Mattoo, after which, 16 more were killed in Kashmir and the state government tightened the noose to quell protests.
 Since then Zaid and his mother have been putting up at their maternal home in Eidgah area of the City.
 The baby’s health has been compelling the mother to accompany him for treatment.
 Though not fit for travel, she during the past days of curfew, rode pillion to Riyaz while taking Zaid to SKIMS Soura.
 “The roads were deserted. No transportation. And nobody willing to offer us a vehicle…Finally, we took out our bike and rushed the baby to hospital,” Riyaz recaps.
 Even though the troops allowed the couple to proceed, the bike ride proved detrimental for the woman.
 “She developed complicacies as some of her stitches ruptured…,” Riyaz recaps.
 But at SKIMS, the family’s concern again shifted towards Zaid as he was hospitalized. They spent the night there.
 The next morning, the patient was discharged. But going home was a trouble.
 Riyaz didn’t want to risk his wife anymore by riding her home on the bike.
 “We requested the hospital authorities to provide us ambulance, but they refused. There were no auto-rickshaws or taxis available either,” adds Riyaz while showing the discharge certificate of his newborn.
 “Suddenly some ambulance from Kupwara was going back…I begged before the driver and he was courteous to drop my wife and the baby home,” he adds.
 But Riyaz couldn’t go along because of his bike.
 “Due to curfew, till evening they (troopers) didn’t allow me to leave the hospital premises.”
 But back at Eidgah home, after a few days, the newborn again fell ill.
 “Given the past experience of travel to (SKIMS) Soura, we gave up their medication and planned to consult some other doctor who would be easily accessible,” Riyaz says adding that some family friend referred him to a Pediatrician at Safa Kadal.
 “The Safa Kadal doctor changed the medication… But it didn’t bring any relief and finally we gave up this treatment as well.”
 In the month long turmoil, Zaid’s father says, they consulted at least five doctors but none could be contacted for a follow-up.
 “At first we consulted a doctor at Alamgiri Bazar who treated him for jaundice. But afterwards curfew prevented us from the follow-up and we visited his colleague at Zahid Pora in the adjoining locality.”
 But as the baby’s chest didn’t improve, the family tried the SKIMS treatment only to abandon it afterwards.
 Riyaz says in the past people would look for a doctor keeping in view his credentials. “Now one has to look for a doctor, safely accessible,” he explains.
 For referrals, the family could have tried calling the medicos on phone. “But they don’t keep their contact numbers on the prescriptions,” the Nowhatta man complains.
 Riyaz’s personal conveyance has proved a blessing for the family.
 “No auto-rickshaw or taxi is willing to travel to old City areas. Be it Nowhatta or Eidgah, they find it risky even if we offer them any fare,” he says adding the bike helped him a lot.
 Even though Riyaz has remained a national level athlete, the young man says his only child’s ailment has snatched his courage.
 “I shiver even to walk for a mile than to talk of a 20 mile run which I was known for,” he adds.
 Every night, the concerned father leaves the Nowhatta home to see his baby putting up at maternal home.
 “I manage reaching there through lanes and by-lanes which unlike daytime are void of men in uniform at night,” Riyaz adds.
 But why don’t you stay at in-laws place these days? “My mother is widow. I can’t leave her alone,” Riyaz replies while sitting at his Nowhatta home waiting for night to come: A chance to the rest of his family. His wife. His newborn son!

Lastupdate on : Sat, 24 Jul 2010 21:30:00 Makkah time
Lastupdate on : Sat, 24 Jul 2010 18:30:00 GMT
Lastupdate on : Sun, 25 Jul 2010 00:00:00 IST