In a first, tiger attack victim gets free treatment under Swasthya Sathi

kolkata: A fisherman from the Sunderbans, who was injured in a tiger attack, is undergoing treatment at a private hospital in South 24-Parganas' Joynagar free-of-cost under Swasthya Sathi scheme.

This is for the first time a victim of tiger attack is availing free treatment in private set up under this scheme. The family members of the victim said the patient would have died if he was not admitted to the private hospital on time.

BJP's candidate for Ballygunge bypoll, Keya Ghosh's husband Anirban Ghosh— who is a doctor by profession—posted the incident on social media narrating how the victim managed to flee from the clutches of the tiger and how he was ensured critical treatment under the Swasthya Sathi scheme. Trinamool Congress (TMC) spokesperson Kunal Ghosh tweeted how Keya Ghosh's husband appreciated the health scheme of the state government on social media.

The victim, Abu Taleb Piyada (35), a resident of Kultali went to Azmalmari area of Sunderbans to catch crabs along with three others on Wednesday. When they were catching crabs, a tiger attacked Abu. As the other two companions attacked the tiger with bamboo sticks, the animal left the place after grievously injuring Abu. The patient fell unconscious as he received deep injuries in various parts of his body. The two fishermen along with the villagers rushed the victim to Kultali Gramin Hospital where the patient was referred to a city hospital. The patient was then taken to a private hospital in Joynagar.

A surgery was carried out on the patient. He has been recovering. The victim's younger brother, Giyasuddin Piyada, said the family members of the victim received a Swasthya Sathi card from the Duare Sarkar camp. As the victim was bleeding profusely, it was an emergency to get him admitted to a hospital. The private hospital promptly initiated treatment of the patient under the Swasthya Sathi scheme and carried out a critical surgery.