SREEDEVI Arockiasamy, a desperate wife in the South-Indian state of Tamil Nadu, is seeking help from Indian social organizations to move her husband back to India, who was hospitalized after receiving severe head injuries in a hit-and-run accident in Al-Kharj. Arockiasamy Selvaraj, 35, who came to the Kingdom 12 years ago, was riding a bicycle when some youth involved in hot-rodding hit him from behind and ran away. However, the timely arrival of the police on the scene of the accident saved Selvaraj. He was immediately admitted in the Intensive Care Unit of the Al-Kharj King Khalid Hospital, where he underwent two neurosurgeries for left fronto-temporo-parietal acute brain contusion. After two weeks of intensive treatment at the hospital, Selvaraj regained partial consciousness. He now shows frequent disoriented behavior and seldom recognizes people around him. Social activists Chandrasenan and Suresh of ‘Sahayi', a prominent socio-cultural organization in Al-Kharj, are helping Selvaraj in his recovery. They have traced the whereabouts of Selvaraj's family who live in a destitute condition in India. Working on a meager monthly salary for 12 years in Al-Kharj, Selveraj could not call his family – his wife and two daughters aged 10 years and one year - to stay with him. As per the Saudi laws, a victim of traffic accident can receive compensation to support his family back home. But in Selvaraj's case, the motorist who hit him is still at large. Social organizations helping Selvaraj said the victim's sponsor, despite knowing about the accident, never came to the hospital or offered any financial help. On 6 September, medical bills issued by the King Khalid Hospital amounted to SR32,360 and are expected to rise as Selvaraj is still recovering in the hospital. He was hospitalized on July 14. R. Muraleedharan, convener of Federation of Kerala Associations in Saudi Arabia (FOKASA), said the total medical bill may go up to SR50,000 as Selvaraj is required to undergo a psychological treatment and physiotherapy. “Social organizations have joined hands to approach Saudi philanthropists and other charity organizations such as the World Assembly of Muslim Youth (WAMY) to cover medical expenses and that for sending him back home,” he said. Muraleedharan said the Indian Embassy has written a request letter to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs seeking a waiver of the medical bill issued by the public sector hospital. “Efforts are underway to collect a reasonable compensation for his future treatment,” he added. Muraleedharan said the number of hit-and-run cases was on the rise, referring to five such cases reported recently - in at least three of which, parents of the under-aged erring driver came forward and negotiated for an out-of-court settlement. __
