KOCHI: A critical Umrah pilgrim was brought from Dammam by a Jet Airways flight on Thursday morning to the Cochin international airport and was rushed to a private hospital in the city with the police providing a green corridor from the airport to the hospital.
A ventilator was set up in the aircraft after removing some of the seats to accommodate the patient Sadiq Ali, 58, a native of Thodupuzha and a doctor, summoned from Delhi, accompanied him to Cochin airport. The facilities were arr-anged after relatives of Ali approached the Chief Minister, Mr Oommen Chandy, to arrange his airlift back to Kochi.
Sadiq Ali who was taken to Medical Trust Hospital in an ambulance with ventilator at around 11 am, is in a ventilator at the hospital now. Doctors described his condition as critical. Sadiq Ali who went to Umrah with his wife Shyla, 52, and son’s wife Nazreen, 22, joined their son Shafeeq, 28, who is working in Dammam.
The accident occurred on April 11 at 3.30 am when the car they were travelling in, collided with a truck and Ali was thrown out of the vehicle. He was missing in the sand while others got injured. Relatives said it took a while to locate him with fractures all over the body.
The four were returning after Umrah when the accident occu-rred. He was later admitted to Medical Complex at Dammam while others were brought to Kochi after treatment on April 16. While Shafeek was discharged from Medical Trust Hospital, Shyla underwent an operation for her wrist on Thursday. Nazreen was initially admitted to the neuro ICU but has been now shifted to room.
