Singapore-bound, borne by a billion prayers

Students participate in a candle light vigil to pray for the quick recovery of the gang rape victim, in New Delhi, on Wednesday. Photo: Rajeev Bhatt

In a sudden move, the 23-year-old gang-rape victim was shifted from the capital’s Safdarjung Hospital at around 10.30 p.m. on Wednesday and flown out of the country in a special air-ambulance to Singapore.

She was accompanied by her family members and a team of doctors.

The victim will be admitted to Mt. Elizabeth Hospital in the city state, which has a super-speciality multi-organ transplant facility.

The relatively short journey time to Singapore helped in making the decision, sources said.

The government has made arrangements for the family’s stay in Singapore as the treatment is expected to take a while.

Addressing the media late at night, Safdarjung Hospital Medical Superintendent Dr. B. D. Athani said: “The victim is strong but her condition continues to be critical. She had extensive abdominal and intestinal injuries and despite three life-saving operations and best treatment by a team of doctors from Safdarjung, All-India Institute of Medical Sciences and G.B. Pant Hospital, her condition continued to be critical. After evaluation, the team decided that it was best to shift the patient abroad for treatment.”

The patient was shifted out of Safdarjung Hospital amid tight security around 10.30 p.m. Three fully-equipped ambulances were lined up on the hospital premises and one of them moved the patient out. The move came after the patient endured a tough night on Tuesday, with a senior official in the Health Ministry stating that the girl’s condition had deteriorated with her pulse rate dropping considerably, forcing her doctors at Safdarjung Hospital to seek assistance from cardiovascular surgeon Dr. Naresh Trehan and physicians at the All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS) to revive and stabilise the patient.

The official added: “Her pulse rate had suddenly reduced to below 50-per-minute but she was revived.”

Earlier in the day, doctors at Safdarjung Hospital remained tight-lipped about her condition and even skipped the daily routine of issuing a health bulletin. Refusing to give any details about the patient, Dr. Athani, when asked about the girl’s condition in the evening, said: “I don’t know.”

Also, the patient’s family members who were previously talking to the press refused to interact.

The hospital authorities also did not confirm any news about the deterioration in the patient’s condition.

There was much speculation on the patient’s condition on Wednesday after the Safdarjung Hospital Medical Superintendent postponed the routine daily press conference at 4.30 p.m. to 6.30 p.m. There was no briefing at 6.30 p.m. either. Moreover, police presence in and outside the hospital was beefed up.