Woman seeks aid after 1,000 dialyses

KOCHI: Fort Kochi resident Avril D'Coutho (61), who has completed over 1,000 dialyses sessions since 2007, is seeking aid for her treatment. Greg D'Coutho's wife said that she has spent around Rs 45 lakh for her treatment and has exhausted her finance options over a decade. Now, she needs around Rs 6,000 a week for dialysis.
D'Coutho was in Bahrain for almost three decades."After our marriage, I went to Bahrain. My husband was a mechanic at a hotel. Later, I secured a teacher's job at a school for special children. And 16 years after our wedding, our only daughter was born. My daughter just got a job and the pay is a pittance," she said.
Her trouble started in 2007. "I underwent dialysis at a hospital in Bahrain for four months. As hospitals bills became a burden, I had to put in my papers and arrive here. By that time, my husband also retired from the service. Back home, I resumed dialysis at a private hospital in Kochi. Again hefty bills forced us to switch hospitals. In 2008, I went to a private hospital in Kakkanad. Ever since, I have been undergoing dialysis at the hospital. Now, I have completed 1,002 sessions at the same hospital," she said.
"We have exhausted our finance. When I went to a government hospital for dialysis, hospital authorities said they did not have a nephrologist. If the service of a nephrologist was required, they would send me to a private hospital. So, I stuck to the private hospital in Kakkanad. However, we no badly financial support," she said. She need around Rs 6,000 a week for the dialysis.