Angul: A woman has been left to fend for self after being abandoned by her sons at Remuan village near Talcher in the district. The elderly woman, Shantilata Nayak, has been battling with death for the past six months.
Cursed by the destiny, Shantilata who is afflicted with an infection on her right leg has been left bedridden after the infection aggravated. Poor hygiene, lack of medication and no proper care contaminated the wound and Shantilata is in dire need of medical care.
A few days ago the world celebrated International Women’s Day, with all warmth, remembering the contribution of women in different roles at all stages of life. But, the plight of Shantilata shows the contrast as two of her able-bodied sons and her hooch bound husband are least bothered, whether she survives or dies.
Taking pity, her former employers rescued her and rushed her to the nearby Talcher Sub-Divisional Hospital where she was administered emergency care.
Sources said her neighbours are treating her as an outcaste because of the rotten leg she carries. The two sons and daughters-in-law barely attend her for days together.
The woman was once the sole bread winner of her family. She toiled as a peasant, brick-kiln and construction worker as well as cleaned utensils in the neighbourhood, to feed her children and earn for the daily quota of her husband’s booze. However, now Shantilata is deprived of a proper meal in a day.
Shantilata has been afflicted with this infection for long. Her husband and two sons are in no way concerned about the woman’s health, said a native of Remuan.
The district administration needs to act immediately in order to save Shantilata from an untimely and painful death, he added. “Her condition is deteriorating as time passes. The affected part of the leg needs to be amputated to save her life,” a doctor of Talcher SDH said.
PNN
