Blood cancer patient appeals for euthanasia

The court will hear the plea of Alka Tiwari, a slum dweller from Parmat area here and suffering from aplastic anemia, tomorrow.

"A civil suit has been filed asking the government to bear medical expenses for treatment keeping in view her poor financial condition or allow euthanasia," Alka`s lawyer Anand Shankar Jaiswal told here.

Alka requires a bone-marrow transplant by next month and her mother`s bone marrow has matched which can be used to save her. However, the surgery would cost approximately Rs 15-20 lakh which the family is unable to afford, he said.

Detected with blood cancer in 2002, she was referred to Mumbai after treatment in Kanpur failed to yield any result.

With the death of Alka`s father in 1998, her 25 years old brother has been earning for the family and incurring her treatment expenses.