Plunge maid may walk again
Published: 13 April 2007
A housemaid, who broke her back when she jumped from a third floor balcony in Riffa, may be able to walk again thanks to immediate medical attention at Salmaniya Medical Complex.
Nagamani, from the Indian state of Andhra Pradesh, underwent a five-hour operation on her spine, hours after she jumped from her policeman sponsor’s flat, allegedly in a fit of depression, on April 2.
“Her surgery has been successful and she can sit up with assistance,” said a doctor, who didn’t want to be named.
“She will be able to walk again with a lot of help initially, but should gradually improve with extensive physiotherapy.”
Plunge maid may walk again
Published: 13 April 2007
A housemaid, who broke her back when she jumped from a third floor balcony in Riffa, may be able to walk again thanks to immediate medical attention at Salmaniya Medical Complex.
Nagamani, from the Indian state of Andhra Pradesh, underwent a five-hour operation on her spine, hours after she jumped from her policeman sponsor’s flat, allegedly in a fit of depression, on April 2.
“Her surgery has been successful and she can sit up with assistance,” said a doctor, who didn’t want to be named.
“She will be able to walk again with a lot of help initially, but should gradually improve with extensive physiotherapy.”
The doctor said the key in Nagamani’s recovery was the immediate surgery that the 30-year-old had undergone.
“We were able to fix her up and now we hope she will walk again,” he said.
“We are sure extensive physiotherapy will help.”
An Accident and Emergency doctor at the hospital said the housemaid was lucky to have not only survived the fall, but remain conscious as well.
“She was able to sign her consent papers for her surgery herself which saved precious time, that was important,” he said.
The doctor said it was also a coincidence that the authorities found a Telugu-speaking person in the emergency room at that precise time, who was able to act as an interpreter.
Meanwhile, community workers, especially those from the Telugu Kala Samiti, have been visiting Ms Nagamani in hospital to inquire about her health.
“She is in a depression, but we are trying to cheer her up,” said the Samiti secretary-general Prasad Rao.
“We are also trying to ensure that a Telugu-speaking person accompanies her on her flight home in the next few days,” he said.
An Indian embassy spokesman said yesterday that Ms Nagamani’s passport had been sent for her residence permit cancellation.
“Other formalities are being worked out and she should soon leave for home,” he said.
Ms Nagamani, who was initially rushed to the BDF Hospital by her sponsor after her early morning jump, was later transferred to the SMC.
She alleged that she took the desperate step after she was repeatedly beaten up by her sponsor’s wife, a claim that was dismissed by her sponsor.
He said in case she wished to leave, she could have walked out of the door and not jump.
Ms Nagamani, who came to work at a salary of BD40 in January this year, said she needed to support her unemployed husband and three children.
© Gulf Daily News