The Hindu Business Line : Grave grief, small graces

Four women huddle together at the casualty ward of Mumbai's King Edward Memorial (KEM) Hospital. Soon enough the youngest among them wails out loud. They have just found the name of a family member on the list of victims who succumbed to Tuesday's multiple-blasts.

Another hospital, another picture of grief. A young woman sobs silently at Sion Hospital, as she finds her husband's name in the list of dead.

Sordid anguish links several families waiting anxiously at different hospitals in Mumbai, where wounded passengers were brought after Tuesday's serial-blasts that killed 200 people and injured over 600.

Doctors sit at the entrance of KEM with lists of the dead and injured, trying to help worried and weary relatives, saving them the trouble of personally searching casualty wards. Chadrashekar Pujari, 17 years (stable), Amjad Ansari 19 years (critical), Mohammed Maru, 14 years (stable)... reads another listpasted on the wall at KEM's ward.

But administrative initiatives get interrupted, every-time news of a death is broken to family and friends. As one young lady cried on hearing that her father was no more, some people in the room came forward to comfort the family, while others were seen saying their prayers to help heal their grief.

Some people were more grief-stuck, unable to find the names of their family members anywhere.Speaking incessantly on his mobile phone, one such person screamed out that he had been running from hospital to hospital searching for a missing relative.

Hospitals should not put the list of deceased and injured at only their institution, but also of those victims admitted at other hospitals too. This would spare relatives the trauma of going from one hospital to the hospital, he told Business Line.

Small mercies

Some small graces during times of grief were the numerous volunteers at Sion Hospital, giving water, fruits and biscuits to grieving relatives. People were also seen volunteering blood at state-run hospitals such as KEM and Sion.

At Hinduja Hospital, no more calls were made for voluntary blood donation, as close to 100 people responded to the hospital's call on Tuesday night. The hospital's Director (Administration), Mr Anupam Verma, said they had adequate blood supplies for any emergency.

Besides issuing blood packets, The Asian Heart Institute also collected blood from voluntary donors who came from companies located at the Bandra Kurla complex.

More Stories on : Terrorism | Maharashtra | Medical Institutions & Hospitals

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