Jehangir Eslah dies on World Refugee Day

Lesley E

From The veblog of "Bombay Boy"

Officials of the UNHCR, the United Nation’s Refugee Agency, here in New Delhi, have been making pious speeches this morning to mark World Refugee Day. What their audience won’t hear about is the criminal negligence of UNHCR Delhi staff that has led to the death, this morning, of Iranian refugee Jehangir Eslah.


Jahangir Eslah died at 6.30 am today. My friend Ali called from the hospital to inform me. It was hard to hear what he was saying because just beside him Mrs Eslah was screaming and her children were wailing. For the past week, the Eslah family have been struggling with the apathy of UNHCR legal and protection officers. Their tale is the one that should be told on World Refugee Day, and not the nonsense pouring out of the UNHCR Jorbagh offices.

Jahangir Eslah was a political refugee registered with UNHCR in Jorbagh, New Delhi since 2000. That status meant he was entitled to the rights of refugees as set down in international refugee law. Among these rights are provision of support for basic health. Because often refugees cannot speak the languages of their host country, and because they are temporary residents expected to move on to another country which will grant them asylum, they cant get work to support themselves. In India, as India is not a signatory to the UNHCR convention, health costs of refugees registered with UNHCR are entitled to free treatment at government hospitals at UNHCR’s expense. Time and again, UNHCR officials in Delhi set aside humanitarian concerns and stick to the rulebook governing refugee care, even when this places refugees in danger. Today, on the day that reminds us all of the rights of refugees like him, Jehangir Eslah paid for the UNHCR's inhumane bureaucratic culture with his life.

The Eslahs are residents of Bhogal Market, Jangpura, in South Delhi. At 10.30 on the morning of Sunday 10 June, 2007 Jahangir Eslah complained to his wife Mrs Mariam Eslah that he was suffering acute chest pain. She noted his face was white and immediately took him down to a local doctor, Dr Sudhir Kapoor (Care Polyclinic, M-52 Lajpat Nagar II) as Dr Kapoor speaks Farsi (he has previously worked in Afghanistan) and the Eslahs speak neither Hindi nor English. Dr Kapoor noted the acute chest pain and falling blood pressure and immediately asked them to go to the National Heart Institute in East of Kailash, as it is the nearest heart hospital to his Lajpat Nagar clinic. So alarmed was the doctor by Jahangir Eslah's condition that he himself stopped an autorickshaw and told the driver to immediately take them to the NHI. He wrote a letter to NHI saying 'to whom it may concern' upon examining Jehangir Eslah, the acute chest pain and falling blood pressure could lead to a "fatal situation" and that "it was in best interest of the patient's life, I referred him to National Heart Hospital which is ideal place to tackle such problems to save life".

The Eslahs reached NHI hospital by 11 am. Jahangir Eslah was immediately admitted in the ICCU, but Mrs Mariam Eslah was unable to understand what the doctors were saying to her about her husband's condition. So at 1 pm, she called another refugee Ali R and asked him to come to the NHI to translate what the doctors at NHI were saying to her. The doctors said Jahangir Eslah is critical and could have another heart attack any time within the next 72 hours and till then has to remain in the ICCU. By borrowing money from some other refugees known to her, Mrs Eslah paid Rs 10,000 as advance towards the hospital costs. She had no other money, so she called the UNHCR office at Jorbagh and asked to speak to one of the UNHCR protection officers. But after three phone calls, she still failed to get beyond the security staffer. Later in the night, an official from YMCA, which provides social services on behalf of UNHCR, came to the NHI to prepare a report. UNHCR assistant protection officer Ms Yamini Pandey had contacted the YMCA. Jose came to NHI, spoke to the doctors and prepared a report, which he submitted to UNHCR the next day at 10 am, stating that the health situation of Mr Eslah was critical and that his family did not have funds to meet the cost of treatment.

On Monday morning, the NHI doctors told Mrs Eslah that it is crucial to perform an angiogram on Jahangir Eslah within the next 48 hours, in order to determine the course of treatment, and that this would cost Rs 15,000. Mrs Eslah then went to the UNHCR office at Jorbagh to ask for help on an emergency basis. There the legal officers Ms Sonia Taneja and Ms Teresa Jose asked Mrs Eslah what kind of help she needs. Mrs Eslah explained she needed Rs 15,000 for the angiogram, explaining that she had borrowed money to pay advance and that she doesn't want to lose her husband. The legal officers of UNHCR flatly and very rudely told Mrs Eslah that it is not their duty to pay the health costs. At this she became very upset saying that her husband would die. Then they clarified that they could only pay costs incurred in government hospitals, which in New Delhi is specifically AIIMS. So Mrs Eslah went back to NHI and asked the doctor to transfer her husband to AIIMS. But the doctor in a handwritten letter dated 11-6-07 said that patient Jahangir has "acute inferior wall myocardial infarction and has been thrombolysed subsequently. He is presently in ICCU and cannot be shifted in view of his deteriorating condition". The doctor said Jahangir Eslah could die just by being shifted out of the ICCU.

Mrs Eslah went back to UNHCR office with the doctor's letter and gave the letter to officers Ms Sonia Taneja and Ms Teresa Jose. The officers then said they cant pay because if they do, then every refugee will expect such help. Mrs Eslah was very upset and said this kind of heart attack cant happen to everyone daily. Ms Sonia Taneja and Ms Teresa Jose were very rude to Mrs Eslah and she collapsed in shock. The UNHCR officers called a taxi to send Mrs Eslah to AIIMS where she had to be treated for shock by AIIMS Doctor Amit Kumar.

The NHI doctors again gave Mrs Eslah a signed letter saying "to whomsoever it may concern, this is to certify that Mr Jahangir, 48 years male (R. No.: 58019) is suffering from acute inferior wall myocardial infarction, post MI angina and ventricular arrhythmia. He is not being shifted elsewhere."

On this day Ali R asked UNHCR officer Ms Teresa Jose for an interpreter as he was exhausted and was working in an unofficial capacity just to support the Eslahs. But Ms Teresa Jose refused even this request, saying the UNHCR doesn't have any translator on hand. Mrs Eslah had to continue to rely on the kindness of fellow refugees in this difficult time.

The doctors told Mrs Eslah that an angiogram is a must and she has to do something or they cant give the correct treatment. Many times Mrs Eslah called UNHCR to ask the protection and legal officers for help but none spoke to her. Then the UNHCR officers asked the NHI to give them some documentation to prove that the angiogram would cost Rs 15,000, which the NHI duly provided. Mrs Eslah took the document to the UNHCR and Ms Teresa Jose very rudely said to them "don't expect that we will pay this money". Throughout this ordeal, the UNHCR officials have been brutally rude and nasty in communications with Mrs Eslah.

On Tuesday morning at 3 am, Jahangir Eslah's blood pressure began steadily and dramatically increasing. Dr Sharma and Dr Johns Thomas of NHI informed Mrs Eslah about the blood pressure increase and that they suspect Jahangir Eslah has suffered a brain hemorrhage. The doctors said it is too late for angiogram now. On confirming the hemorrhage by CT scan, the doctors told Mrs Eslah to be ready because her husband may die anytime between the next 4 hours to three days, and that they could no longer help and Jahangir Eslah had to be taken to VIMHANS hospital at Ashram. Mrs Eslah was unable to pay the balance amount of money owed to NHI but in a humane gesture NHI did not insist on receiving payment before releasing the patient. During this time Mrs Eslah repeatedly tried to request UNHCR for help, but the security officer would not put her in touch with legal officers Ms Yamini Pandey or Ms Sumbul Rizvi. She left urgent messages for these officers to call her back, but got no response.

Jahangir Eslah remained in the care of Dr Malhotra at Vimhans. Vimhans began treating him even without payment, save for an advance of Rs 20,000. At one point, the UNHCR again sent a YMCA official to Vimhans, but he just asked for proof that Rs 20,000 had been paid as advance but once this was proved, the YMCA officials did not reappear. Vimhans has asked UNHCR for payment but UNHCR has again told Vimhans that they can only reimburse expenses at AIIMS. Vimhans finally suggested that UNHCR pay only equivalent costs that would have been incurred at rates specified by AIIMS. Even this compromise was greeted with contempt by UNHCR official Ms Teresa Jose, who said "Sorry we aren't allowed to pay more than Rs 3,000 or 4,000 for a refugee" and hung up on Raman Kumar, administrator of Vimhans. Program officer Kalpana of UNHCR gave a similar intimation to Raman Kumar of Vimhans. UNHCR responded to Vimhans letters dated 15 and 16 June asking for payment with a fax saying they will not meet the treatment costs. To date, UNHCR has not paid even 1 rupee towards costs.

Today, on World Refugee Day, instead of hosting meaningless functions in which they try to paint their hunky dory pictures of the status of refugees in India, these UNHCR officials should ponder whether, had they paid for the angiogram, Jehangir Eslah would still be alive today.

Mr Eslah's case is not unique. UNHCR officials in Delhi routinely treat refugees with disdain, which goes against the humanitarian ethos of the United Nations. Other refugees in Delhi who have suffered heart attacks in the middle of the night and have been unable to reach AIIMS, have also lost their lives and suffered great financial strain due to inhumane bureaucracy at UNHCR in New Delhi.

Today we mourn the needless loss of Jahangir Eslah's life. We urge the UNHCR to institute an inquiry in this matter and take action against the erring officials. We demand that UNHCR immediately reimburse the expenses incurred for the treatment of Jehangir Eslah and that in future a humanitarian approach should be taken to addressing the health care needs of all refugees under their care in India.

Nothing can be done to recover Mr Eslah's life. But perhaps we can provide some comfort to his family and to other refugees by highlighting his case in our media. So that a man may die while organisations and governments hide behind the legalities and diplomatic immunity that provide a cover to their irresponsibility, but let their inhumanity be uncovered for all to see.

Please do forward this article widely, and freely use the image. It is of Jahangir Eslah while he was in the NHI hospital, and has been printed with consent of the Eslah family.

If you wish to send a condolence to the Eslah family, please email me at mumbaikarindelhi@gmail.com , or lesley.esteves@gmail.com

More on Jahangir Eslah
* Statement by Hambastegi-the International Federation of Iranian Refugees, dated June 16, 2007
* News coverage by The Hindu newspaper, New Delhi, dated June 22, 2007