Prime Minister Atal Behari Vajpayee was introduced to Mumbai's monsoon as flood waters entered Breach Candy Hospital on Sunday.
Vajpayee, however, enjoyed the more poetic face of the monsoon from his air-conditioned room on the seventh floor of the hospital. "He asked us what all that pounding was, and we told him it was raining heavily. He asked to draw back the curtains, and was fascinated by the view," said one of the people assigned to him.
The staff inundated the prime minister with details on what Mumbaiwallahs have to go through during every monsoon and requested him to help.
Prime Minister "We all really flooded him with complaints. He gave us a patient hearing and said he would see what he could do about it. Our nurses have to trudge through waist deep waters to reach the hospital. The prime minister saw that for himself," sources in the hospital said.
Civic personnel worked through the night, bringing in special equipment to remove the waterlogging in the low-lying Breach Candy area. "We brought in two suction units and a pump to clear the choked drains. It took us hours and the senior officials were breathing down our necks to ensure that the work was done in real quick time," said a Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation employee as he manned one of the suction units stationed outside the hospital.
This time too, Vajpayee has floored the hospital staff with his legendary charm. "He is very considerate and kind. He asks after our health and shows genuine concern. He reads a lot, surfs television and wants to see news channels as often as he can. He is more relaxed this time than he was when he had his left knee replaced last October," sources said.
Deputy physiotherapist Sujata Wagle was thrilled to attend to the PM, who remembered her birthday yesterday, and wished her. "We had been talking among ourselves as to which staff members had June birthdays. Vajpayeeji heard that and found out about my birthday. I was in for a pleasant surprise as he and his foster daughter Nameeta wished me on Monday," said an overjoyed Wagle. She is going to treasure the moment forever.
Vajpayee was surprised to find her working through the weekend. "What is this?" he told her, "You have to work even on Sunday? That isn't fair."
While other staff of Breach Candy Hospital will wave a fond goodbye to their most celebrated patient, Wagle will accompany the PM to Delhi on Tuesday, staying there for about a week to give him his physiotherapy.
Dr K G Nair, Medical Director of Breach Candy Hospital, is sad and happy. Sad because his VVIP patient is being discharged today; happy because his hospital made his stay comfortable, his surgery event-free and his recovery speedy. The prime minister had a good, relaxed feeling at Breach Candy, which is why he stayed on a few days longer.
Dr Nair is also proud. When any patient opts to return to the same hospital, it speaks volumes for his confidence in the facilities and the care of the nursing staff. That testimonial multiplies when that patient is the prime minister, who had every hi-tech hospital in the country going on its knees asking him to avail of its services for his operation. Breach Candy may not be one of your plate-glass and granite institutions with a glittering facade, says the medical director, but our services are impeccable and our environment infection-free. The prime minister felt safe here, which is why he returned to us.
Dr Nair would be happier to host him again, but would be even happier if the prime minister doesnt need any hospital ever again.
