Chandigarh, February 24 An elderly homeopathic doctor, over 80 years old, who has been living alone in a deplorable condition at his residence in Karnal district, Haryana, has been rescued by a social welfare organization.
The neighbors of Harnail Singh had informed Apna Ashiana Organization about a foul smell emanating from his house a few days ago, leading to his transfer to a shelter run by the NGO for the poor and abandoned people.
Raj Kumar Arora, who runs an NGO, said the homeopathic doctor had been practicing at charitable dispensaries, living alone for 10-15 years in his modest house. His wife had moved to Australia after retiring from government service to stay with their two daughters there.
Neither his wife nor his daughters ever visited Haryana to meet Singh, said Arora.
"Upon entering the house, we found him in a very bad state. He had been bedridden for the past two months and was defecating there," said Arora, painting a picture of complete neglect.
Until a few years ago, Singh could step out of the house and survive on whatever food he could find. But as he grew more frail, a neighbor took it upon himself to feed the octogenarian. However, he too stopped visiting the house later because of the foul smell.
Arora has brought Singh to the Apna Ashiana Ashram's shelter. "His health is now fine. We will now take care of him," said Arora.
Several homeopathic doctors have approached Arora to provide assistance to Singh.