It was July 15, 2013, Monday, 10.15am. An ordinary morning, with good weather outside and a busy casualty inside the St John's Hospital, Kattapana. The medical officer on duty was catering to the needs of the patients, when he noticed two men carrying a little child, who was apparently in a bad condition.
On finding that the boy had injuries in his head, he informed me, the only neurosurgeon in the hospital as well as the entire district, to attend to the patient. I reached there in two minutes.
When I saw Shafeeq for the first time, he was gasping. I checked his oxygen saturation level which was just sixty eight per cent, too low from the normal rate of 95-100 per cent. Pupils of his eyes were dilated -- over all his condition was highly critical.
The five-year-old boy had been tortured by his stepfather and mother in his home at Kumily. CT scan revealed head injury and eye hypoxic. As the boy was sinking, he was put on ventilator.
Curious to know about what caused the injuries, I turned to the bystander who introduced himself as the father of the boy. He told me the child had a bad fall from staircase eight days ago an that over the last seven days he was okay but stopped responding now.
The patient history didn't sound credible. I got suspicious but went ahead with treatment procedures. When I examined the boy from head to toe, I could find burn marks and bruises caused by pinching all over his thighs and buttocks.
The child's hair was full of lice which was shaved off. To my horror, the scalp was full of contusions. Now it was confirmed that the torture has been happening over past many months and it was a case of 'battered baby syndrome'.
X-rays of hands, forearms, legs and thighs were taken, and the upper and lower extremity. His left leg was spiraling down a fracture, after a forceful twist of it. The doctors asked the remorseless parent about the exact cause of injury but he gave an absurd answer.
With the case being of grave juvenile torture, hospital management informed the Child Welfare Council. Soon police came in and questioned the child's father. But he stood by his old version of accidental fall. All this while doctors struggled to keep the child stable. Despite the child being on ventilator, the parents did not seem to be worried at all.
It was only after they were arrested and taken into custody that the parents revealed the sordid tale of torture. Hospital management extended all help and the treatment continued even as the child remained on the ventilator. But on July 16 the torture story went viral on TV channels. Soon authorities including Collector, health officials rushed in. A team of Kottayam Medical College was deputed to evaluate the child's condition and decide on line of treatment. They approved the treatment so far.
A repeat CT scan revealed that the child's condition had deteriorated further as he developed cerebral edema (swelling in the brain). Ventilator support was increased, high dose antibiotics introduced. Symptoms of pneumonia too started appearing which is a normal occurrence after ventilation.
With political parties and social organizations coming out on the streets, pressure mounted on authorities, even on us. I and my family were also under immense pressure. I knew this was the greatest test of my career. If I make it , I will be remembered for long but any fault on my part would have disastrous consequences.
After the fourth CT scan, the cerebral edema started decreasing triggering a ray of hope. We could witness first signs of movement ten days after he was admitted to the hospital. Child started pushing his tongue against the ventilator tube and he started blinking his eyes.
These were indications that the child might come back to life. Edema decreased significantly after the fifth CT scan. On the tenth day, we decided to do tracheotomy, where the ventilator was connected to the tracheotomy tube. Child opened its eyes for the first time and we in the hospital heaved a sigh of relief.
With Shafeeq showing significant development, we decided to reduce ventilator support at this juncture. He responded positively and to our surprise he even started to breathe on his own. Now it was time to remove the tracheotomy tube.
Now the child started crying feebly, moving his limbs and thereby showing definite signs of improvement. I cancelled my OP and deferred all other cases. With the help of hospital support I could concentrate on him fully.
Exactly after 20 days, doctors withdrew all the external support including oxygen. That was when we realised that the job was done at our level. But complete recovery was still a far cry. Now the boy required physiotherapy, neuro rehabilitation, speech therapy and for such specialised care he need to be shifted to a higher centre.
We did everything possible including music therapy by playing Carnatic music, Tamil music and even exposed him to sound and light so that he may respond to it. From Idukki the boy was shifted to Christian Medical College Vellore on August 11.
Since then he remained under the care of a team of doctors, nurses, occupational speech therapists, social workers and psychologists. After three months specialised treatment, the child returned to Idukki in November to begin a new life.
Owing to fractures, the movement of his limbs is still restricted. The boy needs a lot of nutritional support as he remained underfed for a long period. Clearly CMC physical medicine and rehabilitation department which was set up 50 years ago, did a great job in pushing the child's recovery.
But the near fatal torture of Shafeeq has thrown up several disturbing questions regarding the insecurity of children even within the protective four walls of their house.
Next: Caretaker with a difference
Caretaker with a difference
Thiruvananthapuram: Even specialists at CMC Vellore admitted that had it not been for the excellent support of Anganwadi worker Ragini, Shafeeq would not have recovered so fast. The 34-year-old woman who remained with Shafeeq all through his treatment at Vellore, played a crucial role in the rehabilitation of the child, doctors aver.
Ragini who was working as anganwadi worker at Uppukandam near Kolahalamedu in Idukki, was first approached by social welfare department to be the caretaker of Shafeeq when the boy was about to leave the hospital at Kattapana. The woman readily agreed.
Since then Shafeeq remained under the motherly care and protection of Ragini. She accompanied the boy to Vellore, took care of all his needs fed him , bathing, perform primary needs and caring for the child always. Since the child is yet to be able to walk or move independently, Ragini continues to be with him.
“Shafeeq is happy in her company. I must say Ragini is taking very good care of him. Though her tenure is for three months, considering the fact that Shafeeq requires her presence all the time, her term would be extended,” said Rosakutty, who is in charge of Swadhar Shelter Home.
Ragini who belongs to an ordinary family from Kolahalamedu, has been carrying out her work with missionary zeal. Her four sisters and only brother are all married. But she has not thought about settling down as she is more keen on helping people, especially children in distress.
Earlier she was paid Rs 2,500 and now the salary has been hiked to Rs 9000 considering her brilliant work. As a CMC Vellore doctor put it; “It’s Ragini's presence and skills that helped Shafeeq respond so well to the treatment.”
