The Maharashtra government’s apathy towards public health continues as a 24-year-old patient admitted at a govt-run hospital in Mumbai city was bitten by a rat near his eye on Tuesday.
According to the reports, officials at BMC-run Rajawadi Hospital in suburban Ghatkopar have confirmed that the patient has suffered a rat bite inside the hospital, however, they added that injuries were “superficial” and the patient’s eye has not been affected.
The 24-year-old Srinivas Yellappa had undergone eye surgery recently at a BMC-run hospital in Ghatkopar. On Tuesday, the patient suffered a rat attack, leading him to suffer injuries near his eyes, his relative told the media while revealing about the incident.
The Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation, the civic body responsible for the maintenance and governance of Mumbai, is believed to be the richest Municipal Corporation in India. Despite this, the BMC-run hospitals seem to be in a sorry state.
Reportedly, this is not the first time such an incident has been reported in a BMC-run hospital in Mumbai. In 2017, rats had nibbled on two patients at Shatabdi Hospital in Kandivali.
Injuries are superficial, says doctors
Reacting to the incident, Dr Vidya Thakur, the dean of Rajawadi Hospital, said that such an incident should not have happened. The injuries of the patient are superficial, still, they could have been avoided. “There is no threat to the eye, but injuries are being treated at our hospital”, she added.
“The ward (where the incident took place) is on the ground floor. Some people dump garbage on hospital premises despite being told not to do so. It could have attracted rodents there,” she claimed, adding that the hospital management will take utmost care in the future to avoid such incidents.
Yellappa’s sister said that she noticed an injury on her brother’s left eye when she visited him in the hospital. She said that the authorities informed her about the injury. Yallappa was then shifted to another bed, and his wound was treated, the sister said.
“He is already in a critical condition. Who will be responsible if something happens to him,” she asked.
Mumbai Mayor says rats entered ICU due to monsoon
Meanwhile, Mumbai Mayor Kishori Pednekar said that the patient’s condition is not good and such an incident should never have happened.
Maharashtra | A patient was bitten by rats near his eye when he was in unconscious state in ICU ward of Mumbai municipal corporation’s Rajawadi Hospital
— ANI (@ANI) June 22, 2021
Patient’s condition is not good. This shouldn’t have happened. We will take necessary action: Mumbai Mayor Kishori Pednekar pic.twitter.com/8ZuF1b5j2s
“I was informed the hospital is packed from all sides, and precautions have been taken to ensure rats do not go inside. But as the ICU is on the ground floor and with monsoons here, the rat may have entered when the door was opened,” Shiv Sena leader Kishori Pednekar said.
As the patient is too critical to notice, nurses treated the the wound and informed the ophthalmologist to check the eye, added Pednekar.
It is worth mentioning that Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation, which is struggling to maintain necessary hygiene at the hospitals, has spent over Rs.2 crores annually for maintaining social media handles for PR and image boosting.
