Heartrending saga of poor family

Parents grappling with poverty and the sickness of their children
Afsana Rashid
As both of their children are born with impairment in their eyes, there is no end of worries for   Mohammad Sultan and his wife. The couple is barely in a position to bear the expenses incurred over the treatment of their children which has robbed the family of serenity and peace.
“We have already exhausted whatever resources we had,” says Mohammad Sultan Chopan, father of the children. “I have already sold my house and the piece of land   for their treatment. Now, I live in a small shed. Sometimes there is nothing to keep our pots boiling,’ he adds
The family lives at Baghna Noor Khah in Uri which is few kilometers away from the line of control. There is no end of hardships for them as they live in a village which remains cutoff from the rest of Kashmir due to absence of road connectivity. The village also lacks basic amenities of life.Inspite of these hardships  the couple managed to reach different hospitals for seeking treatment of their sick children but all in vain.
Sultan who works as a labourer says his monthly income is Rs. 700 and the cost of treatment of his children at Indore Eye Hospital, Amritsar figures in lakhs.
“I went to many medical institutions and hospitals here for the treatment of my kids but the doctors straightway expressed their helplessness. Then I explored other options and went to Amritsar where doctors told me that both children ought to be operated and the treatment would incur three lakh rupees,” says Sultan in a depressive tone.        
Pointing towards his children, he says, “No one in our family faces such a problem”. The family even approached faith healers but that proved futile exercise,’’.

Ruksana Sultan (7) and Mohammad Musharaff (4), Sultan’s two children, unaware of the happenings around, gave patient hearing to their parents. “Mushraff’s condition is more serious as his right eye often bleeds and that frustrates us more,’’ says the father with tearful eyes.
While his father was expressing his feelings, Musharaff chipped in “there is a swelling in my eyes’’.
On this account the grieved mother continues, “...Our troubles started when our daughter, Ruksana, was born with impairments in her eyes. We started her treatment when she was just two months old. When doctors in Srinagar failed to cure my daughter   we shifted her to Amritsar.
However, doctors charged hefty sum of Rs. two lakh which was beyond our income capacity. After some years our second child, Musharaff, too was born with same impairment and we went to Amritsar again where doctors told us that the cost of treatment is three lakhs. Condition of our son is worse,”
After a brief pause, Sultan picks up, “We approached Taj Mohi-ud-Din thrice, however, he out rightly rejected to offer any financial support to us.”
“Three years ago, we approached Deputy Commissioner Baramulla for help. They have asked us to submit the total budget estimate of the treatment .However for this purpose, we have to move back to Amritsar and that too incurs Rs. 30,000 to 40,000 which are not manageable for us.”    He adds with a dash of sadness and went on
“Even for preparing an estimate I have to admit my children in Amritsar Hospital which is virtually impossible owing to lack of financial resources,’’.
Adding insult to injury, Social Welfare Department, in the name of helping the needful family has just sanctioned meager amount of Rs. 300 in favour of both children thus making a space for mockery and ridicule.