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Bengal

Patient's death: Irate mob ransacks ICU of ESIC Hospital, damages ventilators

Kolkata: An irate mob went on a rampage ransacking the Intensive Care Unit (ICU) of the ESIC Medical College and Hospital at Joka during which ventilators were damaged causing serious trouble to the patients who were under ventilation support.
Trouble broke out following the death of a 13-year-old boy who allegedly died of medical negligence of the hospital doctors and staff members. The incident happened a day after MR Bangur Hospital was ransacked by the family members of a deceased person. The growing incidents of attacks on the doctors and damaging the public property have become a regular phenomenon.
Few days ago, the junior doctors at the NRS Medical College and Hospital refused to join their duty at the emergency department after around 10 junior doctors were injured by family members of a patient who died at the hospital. Vivek Sarkar (13) was brought to the ESIC Medical College and Hospital on Sunday morning and later, he died at the hospital following which the deceased's family members started demonstration at the emergency department which soon turned ugly as they damaged the ICU and also a portion of the emergency ward. The patients who were undergoing treatment in the ICU were seriously inconvenienced due to the incident.
The family members alleged that Vivek, a resident of Taratala was taken to the ESIC Medical College and Hospital on Friday when he was suffering from fever. He was sent back home with some medicines. The next day, the family members again rushed him back to the hospital.
The doctors again asked his family to take him home as they said that the patient's condition was not serious.
The patient was again taken back home and on Sunday morning his condition deteriorated further and he was again taken to the ESIC Medical College, Joka.
The patient was in serious respiratory distress. The family members alleged that after being taken to the hospital, no treatment was given to the patient for a long time. The patient was declared dead within few minutes after he was taken to the ICU.
Following the incident, a mob damaged the ventilators. The medicine shelf and saline bottles were also destroyed. Some of the patients and their relatives left the hospital in fear. The hospital superintendent who went to the spot to pacify the mob also felt the wrath of the mob as they chased him. Health services in the hospital was seriously affected due to the incident. The air-conditioning machine of the ICU stopped functioning and patients were put in jeopardy. In the end, table fans were arranged by the hospital staff members. The deceased's family members alleged that apart from giving some medicines for fever, no treatment was done at the hospital. There was a long delay to shift the patient to the ICU, as a result of which he lost his life.
After being informed, police rushed to the spot and resorted to lathi-charge to disperse the mob. The hospital authorities, however, denied any negligence in the treatment of the youth.
Around five ventilators were damaged in the incident. Doctors, nursing staff members and also the hospital superintendent were heckled in the incident. Police have detained four persons in this connection so far.
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