Indian doctor treats Pakistani widow for free, sets example of humanity across borders

Suraiyabanu, a 61 year old Pakistani widow from Multan in Pakistan's Punjab region, was diagnosed with the deadly black fungus about a year ago. Terrified of her mother's deteriorating condition despite getting treatments from several doctors in Pakistan, her daughter Ikra Aziz reached out for help from an Indian Ayurvedic doctor who is popular for treating the disease.

Surat: Thousands of kilometres away in Pakistan, a woman suffering from Mucomycosis found a glimpse of hope for survival in the land long regarded as an arch-nemesis of her country. Dr Rajnikanth Patel, an Ayurvedic doctor from India agreed to treat the Pakistani woman in distress when she was almost on the verge of giving up. Interestingly, the treatment, which has worked wonders for her so far, was given online and free of cost.

Suraiyabanu, a 61-year-old Pakistani widow from Multan in Pakistan's Punjab region, was diagnosed with the deadly black fungus about a year ago. The situation took a turn for the worse when she also contracted Coronavirus. Her lower jaw had to be removed after the virus reached her brain, making the situation even worse. Terrified of her mother's deteriorating condition despite getting treatments from several doctors in Pakistan, her daughter Ikra Aziz reached out for help from an Indian Ayurvedic doctor who is popular for treating the disease.

"While I was searching for an effective treatment for my mother's condition online, I came across Dr Rajinikanth Patel from Surat who uses Ayurveda to treat it. I got in touch with him through social media to see if he would be willing to help. We also provided him with the necessary medical documents and reports, including a CT scan. He prescribed the medicines online and we tried to find those here," said Ikra. Though her mother has not fully recovered yet, there has been a considerable improvement in her. "There is more relief today than there has ever been, and we will continue to be treated in this manner. We are confident that my mother will recover soon," she added, with gratitude for Dr Patel.

Dr Rajinikanth Patel, who has been effectively treating the disease back in India, said, "Suraiyabanu's daughter reached me through Instagram. I decided to take a look at the situation through the medical documents she shared online and realized that the patient's brain had been infected with the fungus. Based on the reports, I began her treatment. I was willing to send the medicines to Pakistan, but no one was up for the job. We called three to four courier firms, but none of them was willing to help."

As the last option, the doctor decided to consult and treat Suraiyabanu from India. "I told them to find the necessary herbal medication in stores that sell herbs. Furthermore, we also advised her to consume camel's milk on a regular basis as it has anti-fungal properties and is readily available in Pakistan. She was asked to consume 3 to 4 litres of camel milk every day. The treatment continued alongside. A month later, a report revealed positive effects with about 50% improvement. The family has decided to continue the treatment and we are hopeful of recovery," Dr Patel said.

Usually, the treatment for Mucormycosis costs up to Rs 25 lakh. Having successfully treated over 400 Mucomycosis patients thus far, Dr Rajinikanth has offered Suraiyabanu the treatment for free considering the severity of her condition and the circumstances around. Despite years of animosity between India and Pakistan, the story of Dr. Patel and Suraiyabanu has proved that the essence of humanity persists through enmity across borders.