New Delhi: Former Indian cricketer Vinod Kambli will soon be discharged, his friend and former first-class umpire Marcus Couto, who visited Kambli at the hospital in Thane Sunday, told The Print. However, Couto has some concerns.
Kambli, 52, was rushed to Akruti Health City Hospital in Purna, Bhiwandi on 21 December after he complained of uneasiness and complications including fever and abdominal pain.
“I am relieved by the decision to discharge Vinod (Kambli) from the hospital, but I am concerned that it may be a temporary reprieve, similar to our previous experience at Breach Candy Hospital a few months ago,” Couto said. He recalled that during Kambli’s hospital stay, his whereabouts remained unknown to the media. A close-knit group of 10 friends pooled in Rs 2,000 daily to cover his medical expenses. Strict restrictions were in place at the hospital—visitors were not allowed to bring cameras or mobile phones inside.
“He recovered well initially; the doctor prescribed medication. However, after being discharged, he neglected his health and skipped medicines,” Couto revealed, adding that the family or wife could not be blamed entirely as they were understandably exhausted.
At Akruti Health City Hospital, the ICU became a chaotic scene, resembling a studio. By the second day of Kambli’s admission, the place was flooded with visitors taking pictures, making reels and leaving, turning it into a media circus.
“Within days, we will find him in the same condition in another hospital,” Couto remarked, expressing his disagreement with Kambli’s discharge.
Couto mentioned that while Kambli’s discharge is seemingly positive on the surface, it may have unforeseen negative consequences. “Potentially due to miscalculated risks associated with the memory treatment, incomplete information provided to the doctors regarding prescription intake and physiotherapy or unintended side effects,” he explained.
Couto fears that Kambli may require readmission. Therefore, they requested Dr Vivek Dwivedi, who is taking care of Kambli, to consider extending his stay until 2 January.
“I told them not to discharge him until he is not able to regain sufficient mobility to walk at least 22 yards unassisted,” he added.
Dwivedi, in a recent interview, provided an update on Kambli’s condition. The doctor said that while Kambli would need close monitoring and rehabilitation after discharge, he is also experiencing memory loss.
“Yes, there is a little bit of impairment in memory function also. There definitely is some impairment. Neurodegenerative changes are there. So again, with time and good rehabilitation, he will probably start functioning normally again. Not 100 percent, but definitely he will achieve 80 to 90 percent of the memory, that previous memory,” Dr Vivek Dwivedi, chief intensivist of Akruti Health City Hospital, told a YouTube channel.
However, Couto had a different experience.
“His memory was sharper than mine,” he said, revealing how Kambli remembered the 200-run knock in Mumbai’s Wankhede stadium. “He could recall ball to ball innings.”
Couto also mentioned how over the last few days, he has received several calls regarding contributions to a fund established to support Kambli. “Let me tell you Ricky Couto and I are not involved in this initiative,” he said, also highlighting how some political leaders of Maharashtra have promised financial help to the cricketer.
(Edited by Radifah Kabir)
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