Wellwishers donate Rs 50,000,employers agree to bear major chunk of hospital expenses Showing the generous spirit the city is known for,wellwishers of Madhavan Nair,the popular supervisor at the Coffee House eatery in Camp,contributed Rs 50,000 to cover his medical expenses. Coffee House owners have also agreed to bear the major chunk of his hospital expenses,amounting to more than Rs 1.5 lakh. Nairs family,looking after him ever since he was hospitalised last month,however,is keen on taking him to Kerala,saying they can no longer afford the hospitalisation cost. On June 13,Pune Newsline had reported about Nair,who has worked at various places in Mumbai and Pune despite stunted growth since childhood and has bagged roles in several movies,being hospitalised. Nair,who made Pune his home and has been a familiar face for more than 20 years at Coffee House,was admitted to the KEM Hospital on May 24. His condition has improved but he is still in the ICU. According to chest physician Dr Madhav Kale,Nair was suffering from severe lung infection,bleeding from the chest,mild heart disease and kidney failure. He requires dialysis once every two days and has to be put on ventilator support. The family is asking for a discharge but he needs medical support. We understand their problem. they cannot afford to take too much leave from their jobs, says Kale. Nairs brother Rajan who works with a private firm in Delhi,says Coffee House owners have generously agreed to bear most of the hospital bill. Wellwishers like Dr Mohan Shetty donated Rs 30,000,one Ali gave Rs 10,000 and the Malayalee Samaj gave Rs 5000. On reading about Nairs condition,several people went to the hospital to donate blood and. One Chandran from Mumbai visited him and donated Rs 5,000. Madhu Pillai,a social worker at Kondhwa,who helped the family by sending SMSes to several people seeking help for Nair said that after a months treatment,he is able to sit up in bed and talk. Hospital authorities are against discharging him. Kale says his condition is not very good. He has not passed urine and often goes into spasms due to bronchitis. For the family,it is a matter of not only generating finances but also being away from their work and home in Kerala. Rajan who had to send his brother Unnikrishnan,a security officer,back to Kerala to arrange for funds to transport Nair to a hospital there said,We dont know anybody here. How long do we wait? He adds. We plan to go by road and will have a doctor in the ambulance along with a ventilator.
