SSKM gives fresh lease of life to 4-year-old by removing coin from throat

Kolkata: SSKM Hospital gave a fresh lease of life to a 4-year-old boy, who had swallowed a one rupee coin, while playing with it at his house in Nadia's Ranaghat.

The victim was taken to SSKM Hospital at around 1 am on Sunday after three state-run hospitals and a private allegedly refused him admission.

The doctors at SSKM Hospital saved the boy by removing the coin stuck in his throat through a surgery that lasted for half an hour. The patient has been doing fine. But a little delay in surgery might have caused his life, admit the doctors.

A one rupee coin got stuck in his throat after he swallowed it by mistake. Some hospitals said the patient could not be treated, while the others said there were no doctors who could remove the coin. The victim was wreathing in pain and complained of respiratory distress.

The victim, Arghya Biswas, has been staying with his grandparents in Gungnapur area after he lost his mother at an early age. Arghya's farther, who works as a cook, stays outside the district most of the time. The victim boy was with his grandmother when the incident occurred. He was playing with the coin when he swallowed it. His grandmother became nervous and informed up her husband, who advised her to take him to Ranaghat Sub-divisional Hospital.

The woman immediately rushed him to Ranaghat Sub-divisional Hospital where an X-ray was performed.

The victim's family members alleged that the hospital authorities refused to treat him and was asked to take the patient to College of Medicine & JNM Hospital in Kalyani.

Nonetheless, the boy had a similar experience there as well.

He was then advised to shift the patient to the NRS Medical College and Hospital.

The victim's grandfather meanwhile reached the hospital in Kalyani and were on their way to NRS Medical College and Hospital. One Tulika Ganguly, a resident of Rashbehari Avenue, who was on the same train, gave her mobile number to the helpless grandparents and asked them to contact if they face problems in the city hospitals.

The ailing boy was taken to NRS Medical College and Hospital and an X-ray was again performed.

The elderly couple alleged that they were made to wait as there were no doctors. The couple then took help of the woman on the train and rushed the boy to a private hospital in Hazra. But to no avail, the boy was again allegedly denied treatment there.

At last, he was finally taken to SSKM where the doctors removed the one rupee coin