National level archer struggling to meet medical bills after government funds stopped

What’s the story?

National Games gold medallist Gohela Boro, who is fighting a rare disease called Systemic Lupus Erythematosus (SLE) and Anti Neutrophil Cytoplasmic Antibodies (ANCA), is currently struggling to arrange funds for her medical expenses.

The 21-year-old had been receiving financial support from the sports ministry but after being discharged from the AIIMS in May, the funds stopped coming.

In such a situation, Gohela, the daughter of daily wage labourers, is barely keeping up with her medical bills which are running into lakhs. However, since the ministry has stopped sending money, according to reports, it has been an everyday struggle for her to pay for her treatment.

Her demand for funds from the National Sports Development Fund (NSDF) is also said to have been ignored.

In case you didn’t know…

Gohela started her career in 2008, at the tender age of 12. Since then, she won as many as 77 medals in numerous district, state and national meets. At the 2015 National Games, held in Kerala, she was part of the team that won the gold medal in the women’s team even.

However, recently she was diagnosed with a rare autoimmune disease which has resulted in the decay of her fingers and toes.

The heart of the matter

Gohela was bed-ridden for a couple of months after her disease was detected for the first time in November 2016. Later on, she was admitted to the Gauhati Medical College and Hospital (GMCH). However, the hospital referred her to AIIMS in Delhi for advanced treatment.

She managed to come to Delhi after receiving some money arranged by two Assam-based NGOs – namely, Discovery Club and The People's Aid – through social media campaign and crowdfunding. But the two NGOs soon ran out of money and Gohela was in a difficult situation.

Financial aid from the sports ministry finally arrived only after her plight was highlighted on various social media platforms. The ministry initially took care of her treatment by directly paying the hospital bills. But then, after she was discharged on 21st May, they stopped.

The young archer is now worried that without any help, her dream of becoming a world-class archer might end.

What’s next?

The two NGOs is still looking for ways to raise funds but they do not have any more money to help Gohela, and are running out of options.

Author’s take

Gohela is one of the most promising archers in India. If she can recover and be properly groomed, she might win many laurels for the country.

It is disheartening to see such a promising, young athlete suffering from a difficult disease. Hopefully, she will recover and fulfil her dream.