Man’s death sparks tension at Balurghat District Hospital

BALURGHAT: Tension erupted at Balurghat District Hospital on Friday morning following allegations of medical negligence in the death of a 32 year old man. The deceased, identified as Rahul Singh, was a resident of Shanti Colony in Balurghat.

According to family members, Rahul was admitted to the hospital on Thursday with some physical discomfort but was reportedly stable when they left after meeting him. They claimed Rahul was eating, talking and behaving normally at the time. However, hospital sources said his condition deteriorated late on Thursday night and he subsequently passed away. When the family arrived at the hospital on Friday morning, they were informed of his death. Alleging negligence in treatment, Rahul’s family lodged a written complaint with the hospital authorities. Speaking to the media, Rahul’s relative Shankar Singh said: “When we admitted him, he was almost normal except for minor discomfort. What happened so suddenly at night that his condition worsened and he died? We have not received any proper explanation.”

He added that the hospital had informed them the cause of death was jaundice affecting the liver. “But when we left the hospital on Thursday, there was no nurse or doctor near him. We believe negligence led to his death. We want to know the actual cause and demand a proper investigation,” he said. He further alleged that although the family had provided their mobile number at the time of admission, they were not informed when Rahul’s condition deteriorated during the night.

Angered by the incident, family members staged a protest around 11 a.m. on Friday in front of the hospital superintendent’s office, demanding a thorough probe. They also submitted a written complaint to the authorities. Repeated attempts to contact Balurghat District Hospital Superintendent Krishnendu Bikash Bag for his comments went unanswered, as he neither took the calls nor responded.