Jamshedpur man dies of snake bite due to lack of medicine at MGM Hospital

Jamshedpur, July 18: In a heartbreaking incident, a 53-year-old man, Birenchi Mahto, lost his life to a snake bite due to the unavailability of essential medicine at MGM Medical College Hospital on Tuesday morning. The incident occurred at his residence in Parvatipur, RIT police station area, Adityapur, where both Birenchi Mahto and his wife, Anjana Mahto, fell victim to the venomous snake bite during the early hours of the day.

Reacting swiftly, their son, Lakhi Narayan Mahto, rushed his parents to MGM Medical College Hospital, which is approximately 30 minutes away from their home. Upon arrival at the hospital at around 1.30 am, the couple was in a critical condition. The doctors on emergency duty administered one injection each and provided some pills. However, they asked Lakhi Narayan to arrange for another injection from outside the hospital, as it was not available there.

Faced with the urgency to save his parents’ lives, Lakhi Narayan tried to procure the injection but was unable to do so as all medicine shops were closed during the early hours. Eventually, he managed to find the required injection around 8 am. Tragically, by the time he returned to the hospital, his father had already succumbed to the venomous bite.

Miraculously, the life of Anjana Mahto was saved, thanks to the timely administration of the life-saving injection brought by her son.

Lakhi Narayan shared that the unfortunate incident occurred while his parents were asleep on the floor past midnight. He immediately killed the snake upon discovering the bite and rushed his parents to MGM Medical College Hospital, hoping for quick and efficient treatment.

The Superintendent of MGM Medical College Hospital, Ravindra Kumar, claimed that there was no shortage of anti-venom injections in the hospital. He suggested that the doctors on emergency duty might have prescribed some other medicine that needed to be procured from the market.

However, when questioned about the absence of other necessary injections apart from the anti-venom serum, especially during the rainy season when snake bite cases are more prevalent, the Superintendent could not provide a satisfactory answer.

A relative of the deceased, Birenchi Mahto, expressed concerns about the hospital’s response to medical negligence cases and urged the Deputy Commissioner to regularly monitor the availability of life-saving drugs at the government-run hospital.

The tragic incident has raised questions about the readiness and preparedness of medical facilities in handling emergencies like snake bites, emphasizing the need for timely availability of essential medicines to save precious lives.

A sudden rise in the snake-bite cases has been noticed after the arrival of rains in the district following a long spell of drought. Unhygienic conditions in rural areas have been creating a real health hazard for the residents as many parts of the town are littered with filth, trash and garbage.