A young man’s death at a government hospital in Bihar for want of medical attention and basic medicines has dealt a blow to the state government’s claims about improvements in the healthcare delivery system. The lack of empathy in the government’s reaction to the death has shocked many.
When a critically ill Mukesh Kumar, in his early 30s, was brought to the district headquarters hospital in Samastipur town with complications reportedly after consuming something extremely contaminated on Saturday evening, there were neither any doctors nor compounders to attend to him. According to several witnesses, the man lay on the floor of the emergency treatment ward, writhing in pain for over two hours, and died unattended.
A meeting of three senior doctors at the hospital on Monday to discuss the death brought out a severe lack of basic medicines and negligence of the doctors in charge of the emergency ward.
The doctors, quarrelling in high voices, differed over who and what to blame for the death that spread shockwaves in Samastipur and caused a minor protest against the hospital administration.
“The entire system at this hospital is very bad. There is a lack of even basic facilities like distilled water and bandage clothes,” said Dr A.B. Sahay, a senior doctor after the meeting. “I will discuss the matter with the civil surgeon and other higher officials,” he said in acute frustration.
Bihar health minister Ashwini Kumar Choubey, when asked about this death and what it has revealed about the state’s government hospitals, said, “The patient had reached such a final stage of being that he breathed his last soon after reaching. No medicines could have saved him.” But television channels showed the man writing in pain and getting no medical attention whatsoever before dying on the floor.
Chief minister Nitish Kumar appeared casual as he reacted to journalists’ questions on Monday. “We do not claim to have set everything right in Bihar. The process is on. There was earlier nothing at all, now improvements are taking place”.