Mishtu (Pranab Biswas)

Five-year-old Mishtu Roy Biswas was suffering from acute lymphoblastic leukaemia but had to be brought back to Hooghly’s Tribeni from Vellore midway through chemotherapy as her family ran out of funds. Then she was off treatment for a month.

Now, the treatment has resumed in Calcutta but the family does not have the required Rs 5 lakh. Mishtu’s father is a schoolteacher in Burdwan and her mother Saptami is unable to find a job.

“The treatment will cost Rs 10,000 a month for the next three months and Rs 50,000-60,000 in the fourth month. This pattern would be repeated for another four months. An infection or complication may push up costs two to three times,” said paediatric haematologist and oncologist Arpita Bhattacharyya, who is treating Mishtu.

A gastro-intestinal infection put the little girl in hospital on Wednesday. “Each infection will push up the cost by Rs 15,000 to Rs 20,000,” said Bhattacharyya.

But Saptami and her daughter live in hope. If the two-and-a-half years of treatment is completed, there is 75 per cent chance of Mishtu being completely cured.

Mishtu was studying in Class I till severe joint pain and swelling forced her to quit school in February. A month after they returned from Vellore, NGO Swayam part-funded the initial treatment. But the NGO can’t help any more.

“When Mishtu is administered intravenous drugs, I hate to bring her back home in a bus as she keeps throwing up. But I can’t afford a taxi. My father and brothers are neck deep in debt trying to fund the treatment,” said Saptami.

“Dr Bhattacharyya is not charging a fee and Apollo Hospitals and CMRI are helping too. But just the medicines cost Rs 5 lakh,” said Saptami.

rith.basu@abp.in