Himalayan News Service

Kathmandu, April 23:

Thomas Bernard Shorrock, 67, an Australian citizen, who is staying in Kathmandu for the last six months, has been waiting for the past five weeks to return to his country.

Shorrock is undergoing treatment at Kathmandu Model Hospital for Infarct (internal bleeding in brain). The disease caused him hemipaeris — weakness on one side of the body when both upper and lower limbs do not function.

An unidentified man brought him to the hospital from a Thamel hotel on March 13. He showed abnormal behaviour and talks of going back to Melbourne for medical care and Australian food.

and don’t have any friends in Australia.

“When I left Australia I sold everything and rented my house in Hamburg. Drinks are my friend.” He has been in Nepal as he could not afford the expensives in Australia, he says. He had also stayed in Bangalore, India for six months.

Doctors say Shorrock was violent and aggressive when he was brought to the hospital. But his condition has improved. Tribhuvan University Teaching Hospital has found that he has several ailments like blood pressure and cardiac problems.

“We kept him here on humanitarian grounds and have tried to fulfill his demands. He asks for canned food. Sometimes he even scolds the attendants and disturbs others in the middle of the night,” said Dr Swagat Shrestha, a doctor.

Meanwhile, the Australian Embassy has not shown any interest in Shorrock’s return. The hospital officials tried to reach the embassy but there was no response in the beginning. “Embassy people turned up after we contacted them eight times,” hospital staff said.

“We are doing whatever is required for sending Shorrock to Australia,” said Kumud Gurung who visited him on behalf of the embassy but refused to give further information.