Kin of man who dies from snake bite agitate before tehsildar

The family of a man, who died during treatment here, agitated before the tehsildar office along with the body of their kin, alleging negligence by the rural hospital staff at Korchi taluka, police said today.

The relatives of the deceased yesterday met the tehsildar and handed over a written complaint to her, alleging that doctors at the rural hospital in Korchi gave wrong medication to their kin, which resulted in his death, an officer at the tehsildar office in Korchi said.

According to sources, the deceased, Dhankumar Undirwade (41), a resident of Nandli village, was bitten by a snake while he was sleeping at his house on August 30.
 

He was taken to the rural hospital in Korchi the next morning.

Undirwade's kin alleged that the doctors did not treat him for snake bite and gave medicines for some other ailment, following which his condition deteriorated.

The doctors then advised them to take the patient to district hospital in Gadchiroli for further treatment.

But there was no ambulance available and it took some time for the relatives to arrange a private vehicle.

Undirwade succumbed while en route to the hospital in Gadchiroli.

The agitated relatives then took the body to the tehsildar office and registered their protest, demanding that criminal cases be booked against the doctors of Korchi hospital.

They warned that the body will not be moved till any action is initiated against the doctors.

It was only after tehsildar, Pushpa Kumre assured them that a proposal to initiate an action against the doctors concerned will be sent to the higher authorities and financial aid will be given to the deceased's kin, the relatives took the body for last rites, the officer said.

When asked about the incident, civil surgeon of Gadchiroli district hospital, Dr Pramod Khandate said there are two ambulances at Korchi (hospital), out of which one is not functioning, while another might have been sent elsewhere.

He said they have not received any such information about the death as of yet.

Dr Sachin Kawadkar, who attended to the patient at the Korchi rural hospital, claimed no symptoms of snake bite were found in the patient, hence, he was not given treatment for snake bite.