SAMIULLAH KHAN samiullah. khan@ mid- day. com FOR Vasai resident Prabhakar Wagle, a personal experience opened his eyes to how the healthcare system is tilted against those who are financially disadvantaged.

u201c Sixteen years ago, my hand got burnt in an accident. My family first admitted me to a local hospital [ in Vasai], but I had to be shifted to Parelu2019s KEM.u201d At KEM, says Wagle, an auto driver by profession, the doctor treating him asked the family to arrange for extra blood. For this, they had to borrow R . , . . . from friends and relatives to buy three litres of blood from a local blood bank. Today, the same amount of blood would cost R . , . . . . u201c It made me realise the position that the poor find themselves in during medical emergencies. Family members have to knock on door after door to save the lives of their loved ones.