Croatian tourist with severed leg falls off hospital bed, hurts back

Croatian national Marcel Koprivic (56) who is undergoing treatment at JJ hospital has hurt his back after falling off his hospital bed in the wee hours yesterday. A patient from the adjacent bed said that Marcel lay on the floor until a ward boy picked him up and put him back on the bed. Following this, hospital staff have raised the side-support structure of Marcel's bed to prevent further such incidents.

Staff from the Croatian consulate in Mumbai had visited Marcel Koprivic on February 8, but have not taken any action

Marcel, who was found with a severed leg and a missing passport near the train tracks in Roha, was brought to JJ hospital on February 5. An on-duty nurse said, "He does not eat any food given to him and rarely eats fruits. He just asks for soft drinks and coffee. It would be very helpful if the consulate could appoint an attendant for the patient who could understand his language and his needs."

Following MiD DAY's report (‘From Goa to Mumbai Croatian loses leg, February 7), staff from the Croatian consulate in Mumbai had visited the patient on February 8. After that visit, no official from the consulate or the police station has visited the victim, claimed fellow patients.

A relative of one of the patient's from the same ward said, "Somebody from the consulate visited last week and since then no one has bothered to come again. Marcel can only understand English and none of us can communicate with him. The official gave me Rs 1,000 and asked me to take care of him. They did not bother to leave their contact number with me."

"My back is hurting after the fall. Has anyone contacted my embassy and told them about my condition?" Marcel asked this reporter. MiD DAY is constantly in touch with the Croatian tourist, Marijan Rojic, who had visited Marcel after reading the article. Rojic who has since returned to his country is currently trying to trace Marcel's family back in Croatia.u00a0