When Eman Ahmed Abdulati's sister Shaimaa refused to sign on transfer papers at Saifee Hospital, the state health minister had to intervene, she finally took off on a cargo flight after several delays
Eman Ahmed in a special ambulance before flying off to Abu Dhabi
Saifee's Sweetie, Eman Ahmed, bid adieu to Mumbai on Thursday evening. Her journey, which has been far from smooth, had to face a few hurdles even before the goodbye.
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In the hospital, when her sister Shaimaa refused to sign on transfer papers, the state health minister had to intervene. And later, at the airport, the permission papers to allow the ambulance carrying Eman went missing, after which they had to call for fresh documents. After all the drama, she finally took off at 7.41 pm in a cargo flight.
Hospital staff bidding farewell to their favourite patient. Pics/Rane Ashish, Rupsa Chakraborty
Eman was supposed to leave from Saifee Hospital for the airport at 10.30 am, but at the last minute, when the hospital was handing over documents in presence of lawyers to Burjeel Hospital, Shaimaa refused to sign them. State health minister Dr Deepak Sawant had to intervene to resolve the issue.
In pictures: Eman Ahmed finally bids adieu to Mumbai
Shaimaa Ahmed outside Saifee Hospital yesterday. Pic/Bipin Kokate
He said, "She underwent all necessary check-ups to ensure her safety during the flight. We had to clear all documents so that she wouldn't face any problem in air. In any interstate patient transfer, such documentations are done."
Missing papers
After a delay of nearly four hours, she left from Saifee around 2 pm. A green corridor was created with the help of Mumbai police to shift Eman swiftly from the hospital to the airport.
Also read: World's heaviest person, Eman Ahmad Abdulati, is coming to Mumbai for emergency operation
"Before she left, we did all the necessary tests and a full-body profiling that showed that she was completely fine for flying. Irrespective of the allegations, I hope the best for Eman; she will always remain our special patient," said Dr Muffazal Lakdawala, her treating doctor.
But there were more hurdles in store, as the ambulance carrying Eman, with her sister in the front seat, ran into a tight spot at gate 5 in the cargo section of Chhatrapati Shivaji International Airport. Reason: the permission papers that would allow the convoy in went missing. This caused a hold-up of nearly an hour, during which the Abu Dhabi doctors spoke to the press.
En route
"We have made all the necessary arrangements to take her in an air ambulance to Abu Dhabi," said Shajir Gaffar, CEO, Burjeel Hospital, who along with 15 members from Dubai's VPS Healthcare, would be accompanying Eman on her journey to the Middle East.
"We want to provide her with the best treatment, followed by a good life, and are here to ensure that she has a safe journey to the hospital (Burjeel). The health minister and government were really helpful… we were going to take a discharge against medical advice, but the minister and the police stepped in to smoothen things."
Dr VGR Shastry, vice chairman, Institute of Emergency and Trauma Care, VPS Rockland Hospital, said the first step on arrival in Abu Dhabi would be to do Eman's complete evaluation, after which the way forward would be decided.
"Once we get there, our medical bulletin will be released," said Gaffar. "The next step will be a complete psychological and physical rehabilitation."
Room 701
Room number 701 will always hold a special importance in the lives of the staffers at Saifee Hospital, where Eman spent the last few of her 82 days there. Silence is what usually prevails in hospital rooms, but in hers, the nurses and caretakers would always do something to keep her entertained, so that she wouldn't make her grumpy face. After her departure yesterday, the hospital locked the room, which has a direct view of the Queen's Necklace.
"We had provided that room to her so that she could enjoy the view and feel cheered by it. Every evening, we used to pull back the curtains because she loved watching the sunset," said a nurse.
In the last three months, three copies of the visitors' log have been exhausted. "We have listed each and every person, including the doctors, nurses and caretakers, who paid her a visit there, with the in and out times," said Gita Nitin Mankar, a caretaker.
"Earlier, when she was over 450 kg, we used to require seven to eight people, including two men, just to change her bed and shift her in her bed-cum-chair. But after she dropped to 176, only three to four people could manage that."
Even though her departure didn't go as planned, they didn't leave any stone unturned to give her a good farewell. The nurses gave her a nice hairdo with colourful hair clips, and dressed her up in a gown made in-house. They also brought her flowers, leaving her with a smile on her face.
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