Negligence cry in baby deaths
Age correspondent
, Nov. 2
Alleging medical negligence, the relatives of a female patient burst into protest following her death at SSKM Hospital, the biggest referral hospital in the state.
On Tuesday night, Jinnat Bibi, 50, was brought from Basirhat in North 24 Parganas to the hospital and was admitted to the female ward of the new casualty block for the treatment of her head injuries. Although Ms Bibi got admission, her family members claimed that her saline bottle remained empty at night after use. After a long time, the bottle was filled with saline that too on her repeated appeals.
At around 8.30 am on Wednesday, the oxygen cylinder also became empty. Ms Bibi started appealing for a new cylinder but all her pleas fell to deaf ears. A relative of Ms Bibi, Hasanur Gazi alleged: “We had a harrowing time in arranging a nurse for her when she was not getting the oxygen supply. My mother who was with her, had to literally shout for replacement. Other family members also did the same but no nurse was at hand. When a nurse finally came with a cylinder after half-and-hour, our patient had already expired.” Later Ms Bibi’s family members demonstrated at the hospital premises.
Medical superintendent-cum-vice principal of the hospital P.K. Chakraborty, however, refuted the allegation.
“The nurse told me that installation of the new oxygen cylinder took only five minutes, and not 30 minutes. Besides I have not received any written complaint from the family.”
***
Diggy a topic for research: nistish kumar
ANAND S.T. DAS
PATNA, NOV. 2
Making fun of Congr-ess leader Digvijay Singh, Bihar chief minister Nitish Kumar said he was baffled by Mr Singh’s barrage of politically controversial comments and that these comments had become a “subject of research” for him.
Mr Kumar’s comments on Mr Singh, his first reaction to the Congress leader’s numerous comments in the wake of social activist Anna Hazare’s agitation for a strong Lokpal Bill, came in response to Mr Singh’s recent description of the Bihar chief minister and JD(U) stalwart as a “secular” leader who has been “in bad company”, a phrase indicating the BJP. So far the BJP, the JD(U)’s ally in the NDA, had been assiduously rebutting Mr Singh’s comments while Mr Kumar and other JD(U) leaders were mostly silent.
“I consider Digvijay Singh a mild and sober politician, but he has lately has started making statements that are quite explosive in nature. I wonder if the Congress itself is taking his words seriously,” said Mr Kumar said while overseeing the Chhath and meeting devotees on the banks of the Ganga in Patna on Tuesday. “His (Singh’s) recent statements and why he is making such statements have become a subject of research for me,” added Mr Kumar.