anonymous
4th November 2019
My Story - 15
MY STORY - 15
DR SHANTILAL J. MEHTAAmong my politician patients have
been Indira Gandhi-operated for a kidney stone-Morarji Desai for hernia, and
stone in the ureter right in thepelvis;
Yeshwantrao Chavan for acute appendicitis and Jayaprakash Narayan. After
operating on Indira Gandhi successfully in 1960, I received a letter from
Jawaharlal Nehru. He wrote: "Dear Dr Shantilal. I am sending you a somewhat
belated letter to thank you for all the trouble you took to come to Delhi to operate
on my daughter and to spend a number of days here looking after her. It was a
great comfort to me and to her to have you here, and I am deeply grateful to
you for all the trouble you ok. Indira is progressing. I suppose she will take
some time to come back to normal health and strength. I am glad to say that she
is taking adequate rest and we are keeping away visitors as far as possible”.
Morarji
Desai was an ideal patient though some one had mischievously spread a rumour
that he had collapsed on the operation table. I had to convince all callers
that Mr Desai was quite well and recovering.
I
was to take care of Jayaprakash Narayan when he was at Jaslok Hospital. I had
just come home one night at 8 p.m. when I received a call from the Chief
Minister's secretary. He said that the Chief Minister was about to visit Mr
Narayan and would like me to be present in the hospital. I suggested that DrHiranandani
be asked to come as I had another appointment. At that point the Chief
Minister, Mr S.B. Chavan came on the line and said: "Dr Mehta, I particularly
want you to be there when I am visiting, so please come.” So I went.
Together
Mr Chavan and I entered Mr Narayan's room. Addressing Mr Narayan, Mr Chavan
said: "Jayaprakashji, are you happy in the hospital? Is everybody treating you
well? Do you have any complaints? How has Shantilal been treating you?”.
To that Jayaprakash said: "I have come to this
hospital because of Dr Shantilal. I have known Shantilal for years and because
I know him and knew that I would be treated very well, I have come here”.
Mr
Chavan's inquiries surprised me as they concerned my professional work. So when
we came out I asked Mr Chavan what the inquiry was all about. His answer took
my breath away. He said: "Doctor, it has come to the notice of the government
that in an obituary on Jayaprakashji already kept ready, it has been said that
Dr Shantilal who is a friend of Indira Gandhi, is gradually killing Loknayak
Jayaprakash Narayan. We wanted Jayaprakashji himself to express his confidence in
you!"
A few days later, I had a call from Dr Mani, the
urologist treating Jayaprakash, saying that the patient's condition had taken a
worse turn. Dr Mani said: "He may not survive the night. I am taking him
for dialysis again". So I rushed to the hospital and from there called up
the Chief Minister, who advised me to get in touch at once with Indira Gandhi.
When I called up the Prime Minister she said: "Shantilal, please do notleave the hospital. I am surrounding your
hospital with military and a military Head will visit you within a few
minutes."
Sure enough within half an hour, there was an Armed
Forces looking for me. He came to me and said; "Sir, here are two men precede
you wherever you go in the hospital; the other will follow when you are in your
office in the hospital premises, the men standing outside. They have orders not
to allow anyone to enter without your P.A's specific permission. And even then
one of them will accompany the visitor inside your office"
Somewhat intrigued, I called up the PM and asked her
what this was all about.
Indira said: "Shantilal we have taken all these
precautions for your safety. If Jayaprakashji dies some people will say that
Shantilal killed him and so Shantilal in turn has to be killed!"
But Jayaprakash did not die that night. He was flown
to his own home in Bihar where he passed away.