Yesterday, February 13th 2020, it was revealed that Dr. G.N. Saibaba has tested positive for Covid19. This is an extremely dangerous development, since he already suffers from some 19 different health problems, including heart and kidney issues, which can lead to further complications with Covid19.
Additionally, Saibaba suffers from paralysis due to post-polio syndrome, a condition which necessitates that he receive help with basic hygiene tasks and mobility. This means that if he is forced to go into quarantine because of the virus he will suffer doubly: from the infection itself and from the lack of help with his daily needs.
His wife, Vasantha Kumari, said that during their last phone call Saibaba “could speak with great difficulty. We could make out he was breathless, his throat was sore.” She is rightly concerned that, even after a positive Covid test, the Indian government and the government of Maharashtra state will continue their policy of denying basic medical care to Saibaba.
The government has consistently denied appeals and petitions demanding that Dr. Saibaba be provided with medical care appropriate to his ailments or that he be allowed medical bail to seek treatment. They also denied past appeals that he be let out due to the difficulty in preventing the spread of Covid19 in prison. They even prevented his lawyer from giving him various essentials that he had brought to the prison for Saibaba. In a particularly cruel, arbitrary, and unnecessary act the government refused to grant his request to visit his mother on her deathbed. She died unable to see her son again before her death.
When asked for comment on the status of Saibaba’s health, Nagpur Central Prison Superintendent Anup Kumre said that “He had little bit of cold, cough and fever. So, we got him tested on Thursday. His report came on Friday and he was found to be corona positive. We have sent him to Government Medical College and Hospital (GMCH) for a check-up and once back, we will treat him here in the jail itself like we have treated other inmates.” When asked about isolation and quarantine he said “He is already lodged in a separate Anda cell. He will be treated in his cell by the jail doctor.”
Vasantha and others have pointed out that Government Medical College and Hospital is overwhelmed with Covid patients, does not have the necessary capabilities to treat someone with Saibaba’s many compounding health problems, and does not even have basic facilities to accommodate a wheelchair user like Saibaba. A jail doctor is likely to be even worse, especially in a jail where the authorities have repeatedly denied Dr. Saibaba adequate medical care and allowed his health problems to worsen over the years.
Given Dr. Saibaba’s grave medical situation it is extremely urgent that he receive proper treatment immediately. He must be allowed to seek treatment at a private hospital in Nagpur which is equipped to provide him with proper treatment and accommodate his disability.
The Free Saibaba Coalition calls on all democratic and progressive people to raise their voices to demand that the Indian and Maharashtra government cease their attacks on G.N. Saibaba and provide him with proper medical care.
Free G.N. Saibaba!