New born dies of rat bite in ICU of Darbhanga Medical College Hospital

Darbhanga: In a tragic incident of carelessness and negligence, a newly born female child died of rat bite in the Intensive Care Unit(ICU) of Darbhanga Medical College Hospital (DMCH).

Phiran Chaupal, a native of Nazra village under Sakri police station area in Madhubani district, had admitted his 9-day-old daughter to DMCH who was shifted to ICU. When he had visited ICU last night, her condition was good but surprisingly it was a totally different scene when he visited there again this morning.

"When I visited ICU this morning, I saw some rats biting my daughter", Mr Chaupal said, adding that he called nurses and other paramedical staff who declared the child dead. It was a case of utter negligence on part of doctors and paramedical staff of the hospital as newly born child succumbed to injuries caused by rat bite, he said with the choked voice.

Relatives of the deceased have written a letter to the District Development Commissioner of Darbhanga requesting him to take stern action against those responsible for negligence and carelessness, leading to the death of the child. Meanwhile, the Nodal officer of the Newborn unit of DMCH Dr Omprakash said the condition of the child was serious and she was suffering from breathing trouble. Despite best efforts, doctors treating the child could not save her life, he maintained.

"It is true that rats are found roaming in the hospital and they are in large number but rat bite was not the reason behind the death of the child", he said, adding that an agency was earlier given the contract to keep the hospital free from rats. When it found that the agency failed to check rat menace, its contract was cancelled, he informed.