His drawn-out battle with appendix cancer and his demise have been deeply imprinted on the collective psyche of the nation. And the diary, which is said to be full of his musings on life, death and personal experience during those turbulent days, will certainly add to his legacy. [break]
“The dairy seems to be complete but we have to read it first,” said Gyan Prasad, his father-in-law. “Once we are done with the last rites, we will decide when and how to publish it.”
Father of three, Dr Wagle, a noted public physician, had passed away at Grande International Hospital at Dhapasi at the age of 44 on Thursday afternoon.
According to Gyan Prasad, Dr Wagle was rushed to the Intensive Care Unit (ICU) on Wednesday after he could not breathe properly and passed out.
“Last rites will be carried out at Devghat. His elder brother will be performing all the rituals because his sons are too young,” Gyan Prasad said, adding that the doctor wanted to be cremated there.
A permanent resident of Rupandehi, Dr Wagle had served at the District Hospital of Arghakhanchi for a long period, and was hugely admired by the locals.
After he was diagnosed with the fatal disease, he was taken to Rajiv Gandhi Cancer Hospital in India for treatment, where he spent more than 14 months.
Doctors in India had advised him to go to Canada or the United States for treatment. But, having already spent more than Rs 6 million for treatment, he was not in a position to afford his treatment in India.
He then returned home. A lot of organizations and individuals did come forward to support his treatment once the traditional as well as social media platforms were abuzz with his plight. Many more well-wishers prayed for his recovery, but to no avail.
Pall of gloom descends on Arghakhanchi. Folks of Arghakhanchi are yet to come to terms with Dr Wagle´s demise.
At first his well-wishers were not ready to believe the news, and many of them broke down to tears after it was confirmed that Dr Wagle breathed his last at a hospital in Kathmandu.
The locals of Arghakhanchi feel grateful for the generosity and service Dr Wagle had offered to them while working over 12 years at the District Hospital.
“It is the huge loss to the nation,” said Tara Prasad Khanal, an Assistant Health Worker in the District Hospital and a member of Save Chitra Prasad Campaign, which was formed with the aim of helping in Wagle´s treatment after the state turned apathetic toward his suffering.
Though the Baburam Bhattarai had pledged to fully fund his treatment, the promise was not kept. The incumbent government, too, was largely apathetic toward the cause.
People, who had received treatment from Dr Wagle in the past, remember him as caring doctor and a good human being.
“I have not found any other doctor who is as good and caring doctor as Dr Wagle,” Kamal Prasad Bhusal, 65, of Kimdanda, says with tearful eyes.
Wagle´s popularity was not limited to Arghakhachi as the patients from Pyuthan and Gulmi districts also used to throng his hospital.
According to the locals, Wagle also used to provide financial assistance to those patients who were unable to afford treatment.
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