National-level MP footballer seeks treatment in Dahod hospital

VADODARA: She has not only been the junior-most player in her state’s senior women’s football team, but Madhya Pradesh’s 18-year-old woman footballer, Jyoti Chauhan, has played football at least 12 times at the national-level. In fact her talent was recently recognized by a football club in Mumbai which offered her to play for them.

But this talented player could hardly dribble past the challenges that poverty erected on her path.


Chauhan, who was suffering from common cold and fever since March 8, could not pay for the costly health facilities in her native place in Dhar in MP, and thus was forced to seek treatment at a public-private-partnership (PPP) operated hospital in Dahod. Despite getting treated by doctors with dozen-odd bottles of glucose, injections and other medicines at a government clinic at her native – Sardarpur – in Dhar district she didn’t recover. After wasting thousands of rupees, doctors later told her mother Rekha, that Jyoti was showing symptoms of swine flu and should be immediately shifted to a bigger city for better treatment.

“The injections cost around Rs 300 each, leave alone the other medicines and glucose bottles. Even after spending such a huge amount, doctors could not do anything,” rued Rekha, the only earning member of the family, who doubles as a domestic help and farm labourer.

The hapless mother then contacted her relatives in Dahod who suggested admitting Jyoti to Dahod’s Zydus Hospital. Recovering well at the Dahod hospital, the talented footballer told TOI that she is even planning to appear for her Class XII Board exams which will begin from Tuesday.

Coach Shailendra Pal said that Jyoti has played nationals since she was in class VI and had recently participated in the India camp held in Mumbai. “She has been a dedicated player throughout despite her monetary problems. But financial worries also haunted her even during her selection in the ivy-league tournaments,” Pal lamented.

Interestingly, Jyoti’s three sisters too have played football at the national-level several times.