A patient admitted to the Government General Hospital (GGH) in Kamareddy was found bitten by rats. In light of the incident, the state government issued orders suspending two on-duty doctors and a staff nurse on Sunday. Although the district coordinator of hospital services (DCHS) has surrendered her services to the government, a release said.
The incident was revealed when the family members of the patient, SK Mujeebuddin, found rat bites on the fingers and toes on the right side of his body. SK Mujeebuddin is a resident of Kamareddy, and he was admitted to the ICU at GGH. He was admitted for hypertension-related issues on January 31 after undergoing surgeries on the head and throat at Nizam's Institute of Medical Sciences, Hyderabad.
After getting information from the patient's family member, doctors prescribed medication and checked for any infections caused by the rat bite. It is learned that the hospital attendant was advised to be vigilant during the night. This incident has been spread widely on social media platforms.
According to the release, District Collector Jitesh V. Patil was directed to investigate the incident. On Sunday, he submitted the preliminary report to the Health Secretary.
Based on the preliminary report, the director of medical education (DME), Dr. Triveni, has suspended the duty medical officers and the staff nurse. They are identified as Dr. Kavya, the ICU in-charge doctor; Dr. Vasanth Kumar, in-charge of general medicine; and D. Manuja, a staff nurse on duty. These three were found to be extremely negligent in their duties, particularly in monitoring the health of patients admitted under their care, especially in the ICU, during their shifts.
The services of S. Vijayalaxmi, DCHS, have been surrendered to the government by the district collector. She is currently awaiting further orders.
Based on the instructions of Health Minister Damodar Rajanarasimha, Dr. J. Ajay Kumar, commissioner of the Vaidya Vidhana Parishad (VVP), which is the body responsible for middle-level hospitals across the state, visited the hospital on Sunday. Dr. Ajay connected with the patient’s wife and sought the hospital doctors’ account of the incident. He inspected both the interior and exterior of the GGH premises, which include the 10-bed ICU and its records, as well as the sanitation conditions.
While interacting with media, Dr. Kumar said that the ongoing renovation of the dialysis unit, which is situated next to the ICU, and improper disposal of waste food items were contributing factors to the presence of rats in the hospital. He added that sanitation staff had implemented measures like placing rat pads to mitigate the rat menace within the hospital.
The press release highlighted that no such incidents will be tolerated, particularly when it comes to providing essential healthcare services to those in need.
(Input from various sources)
(Rehash/Komal Bhoi/MSM)