Singapore: The 23-year-old Delhi gang-rape victim has significant brain injury, infection in lungs and abdomen and she is currently struggling against all odds at Mount Elizabeth Hospital where her condition continues to be “extremely critical”, the hospital said on Friday.
“Our medical team’s investigations upon her arrival at the hospital yesterday showed that in addition to her prior cardiac arrest, she also had infection of her lungs and abdomen, as well as significant brain injury,” said Dr Kelvin Loh, Chief Executive Officer, Mount Elizabeth Hospital.
In a statement, Dr Loh said, “The patient is currently struggling against the odds, and fighting for her life.” Briefing reporters here on girl’s condition, Loh said, “As at 28 December, 11am (8:30 IST) the patient continues to remain in an extremely critical condition.”
The girl, who was gang-raped and brutally assaulted in a moving bus on December 16, was brought here in an air ambulance yesterday and admitted to the Intensive Care Unit. She had undergone three surgeries at the Safdarjung Hospital in Delhi, where she remained on ventilator support during most part of the treatment.
Doctors removed major part of her intestines which had become gangrenous. “A multi-disciplinary team of specialists has been working tirelessly to treat her since her arrival, and is doing everything possible to stabilise her condition over the next few days,” Dr Loh said. “The High Commission of India has been fully supportive in helping the hospital and her family, and ensuring that the best care is made available,” he added. The security was tightened at the hospital, favoured by well-heeled patients, with each visitor screened before being allowed into the ICU.
Assuring best possible medical care to the Delhi gangrape victim, Prime Minister Manmohan Singh said that Government was committed to bringing the perpetrators to justice as soon as possible even as Congress President Sonia Gandhi stressed that no time should be lost in punishing them. Gandhi, in her first public reaction on the incident, skipped wishing New Year greetings, saying “…Not so today because our thoughts are with the young woman, who is fighting for her life after the barbarous attack”. She added “our only wish today is that she recovers and comes back to us and that no time is lost in bringing the perpetrators of such a barbarous act to justice”. Gandhi was responding to questions after unfurling the party flag at the AICC headquarters to mark the completion of 127 years of the since its formation. The Prime Minister, who stood by her side, also addressed the media saying, “We share the anguish and the anger of the country over this heinous crime”. Describing the victim, who is currently under treatment in a hospital in Singapore, as a “brave young girl”, Singh said that best possible medical care is being provided to her.
“Our prayers are with the brave young girl,” he said. Singh pointed out that the government has constituted two committees under Justice J S Verma and Justice Usha Mehra to to suggest ways and means of modification in laws related to crimes against women and to look into lapses on anybody’s part in dealing with the aftermath of this crisis respectively. “So you have my assurance that our government is committed to bringing the guilty to justice as soon as possible,” the Prime Minister said.
Gandhi also held a meeting at the party headquarters with Singh, senior ministers and leaders including Home Minister Sushil Kumar Shinde and Delhi Chief Minister Shiela Dikshit, where the issue is learnt to have come up. Rahul Gandhi was not present during programme. Shinde was seen talking to Dikshit for long during the ceremony. The gangrape issue was earlier raised prominently at the Congress Core Group meeting chaired by Gandhi and attended by the Prime Minister on Tuesday during which the Congress President is learnt to have said that there is a need for police to address the issue with greater sensitivity. (PTI)