Woman carried spouse on back for days, finally got disability certificate for him

Mathura: The past few months have seen Vimla Devi dedicatedly carrying her husband on her back to a government health centre everyday, from her home in Gita Vihar near Uttar Pradesh's Mathura. Her husband Badan Singh's right leg was amputated after a nerve-related illness.

A free wheelchair from government hospital requires a disability certificate and Vimla has been doing the rounds of the health centre in Mathura for months to get one.

"We went to many different offices but still haven't got the disability certificate," Vimla told news agency ANI.

What finally paid off for Vimla's struggle was the heart wrenching image of her carrying husband Badan Singh on her back, widely shared and circulated online. Bhupendra Choudhary, a minister in the Yogi Adityanath government, said "It's shameful in a civilised country." The minister said he would do his best to help the couple.

Finally, the Chief Medical Officer gave the 'disability certificate' to Vimla's husband Badan Singh on Wednesday.

(Photo: ANI/Twitter)

"We are in deep trouble; our financial condition is very bad. We can't afford a cycle-rickshaw every day," said Vimla, describing her struggle to get a wheelchair for her husband.

Vimla's household was once happy. Her husband was a truck driver and used to earn enough for them to get by.

However, things took a turn for the worse, when, in 2017, Vimla's husband developed clots in his leg, which turned gangrenous and had to be amputated. The couple's medical expenses mounted and the entire financial burden fell on shoulders of Vimla.

Now he is stuck at home and she has to manage everything on her own.

With a wheelchair, Badan Singh can now look forward to have a better life.

(With inputs from ANI)