Siliguri woman wants to end life through mercy Killing

Siliguri, June 12 : A 20-year-old woman, residing in Phansidewa area near West Bengal's Siliguri district, who is suffering from complications since undergoing an unsuccessful surgery to remove kidney-stones, wants to die.

Phoolbati, a married woman, has sought help from doctors at the North Bengal Medical College and Hospital (NBMCH), to relieve her from the excruciating pain caused by stones in her kidney.

She recently submitted an appeal to the North Bengal Medical College and Hospital (NBMCH) to carry out mercy killing as a favour to her.

"It will be good if I die. My illness is not getting cured. That's why I want to die. I will not be able to go back home in this condition, so if I die here, it'll be better," says Phoolbati Das.

The problem developed on June 17 in 2007 when Phoobati was rushed to NBMCH after complaining of unbearable pain. She was admitted and the doctors conducted a surgery to remove the stone from the kidney.

The surgery was not successful. A couple of more surgeries followed and the condition of Phoolbati kept on deteriorating with new complications surfacing affecting her overall health.

Today, she finds the pain unbearable.

Ramchandra Das, Phoobati's husband also agrees about euthanasia plea, and has requested NBMCH authorities to put a painless end to his wife's miseries and pitiable condition. .

"We are fed up of running here and there for one year and now I am not able to do it any more. We commute nearly 40 kilometers everyday. So, we have made a request to the Superintendent of the hospital that the patient should be laid to rest in peace through injection," said Ramchandra Das, Phoolbati's husband.

Meanwhile, the NBMCH authorities say that they are in constant touch with the medical board comprising experts to ensure Phoolbati is cured as early as possible.

"The neuro - surgery experts have established a medical board, so I've spoken to them about this case. We will have another sitting to see what else can be done scientifically," said Dr. Udayan Ghosh, superintendent of NBMCH.

Ramchandra Das is financially broken and says he has run out of money to afford another surgery. By Pallav Basu

ANI