After disturbing visuals of a dog licking a corpse, allegedly left unattended at the district government hospital in Sambhal in Uttar Pradesh, went viral, two staffers were suspended by Chief Medical Officer Dr Amita Singh for negligence on Thursday.
In the 20-second video, the dog appears to be nibbling at the body covered by a white sheet.
“An explanation was sought from the doctor and pharmacist on duty and an inquiry has been ordered by the Chief Medical Superintendent,” said Dr. Singh. Describing it as heart-wrenching, she promised strict action against those found guilty.
Brother in emergency ward
The minor girl’s father, Charan Singh, said his daughter and son met with a serious road accident on Wednesday. “My daughter was declared brought dead while my son is undergoing treatment in the emergency ward. As he is critical, I was busy getting him referred to Moradabad. When I went to see my daughter’s body, a stray dog was feeding on it. Her body was lying unattended. It is clear negligence by the staff,” he told reporters.
Chief Medical Superintendent Dr. Sushil Kumar admitted that it was the work of one of the stray dogs that roamed the hospital premises.. “We had written to the municipal corporation many times but no action has been taken,” he said.
Dr. Kumar said two staffers, a sweeper and a ward boy, had been suspended for negligence and a probe was ordered. “The body was handed over to the father as he refused a post-mortem. It seems the incident happened when the body remained unattended for a few minutes”.
‘Newborn dies of rodent bites’
In another incident of alleged medical negligence, a private hospital was sealed in Aligarh’s Atrauli area on Thursday after the father of a newborn alleged that his daughter died after she was bitten by rodents.
Rajesh Kumar told reporters that his wife gave birth to a baby girl in Kirti Hospital on November 22. He alleged that the staff put his daughter in the newborn kit. “After an hour, we were told that the baby has died. When the body was shown to us, it had animal bite marks on the face,” he said.
Taking cognisance of his complaint, district magistrate Chandra Bhushan Singh ordered an inquiry that found irregularities in the hospital. “The hospital is authorised to have five beds but we found 11 beds in operation during the investigation. Two rooms are mysteriously locked. We have revoked the licence of the hospital and it has been sealed,” said Dr Durgesh Kumar, Assistant Chief Medical Officer, Aligarh. Investigation was on, he added.
