Young girl’s death sparks protest
Angry mob ransacks Distt Hospital, manhandles CMO
Tahir Mushtaq
JAMMU, Sept 30: As deadly Dengue claimed second live in Samba,
the local populace lost its calm and turned irate ransacking the Samba District
Hospital and office of Chief Medical Officer (CMO), besides thrashing the CMO
and other staff members. Police has registered case against the people who
indulged in violence.
According to reports, after performing the last rites of 24-yr
old girl Pooja Sambyal, who lost life due to Dengue, a large number of people from
Mandi Thalora gathered outside the District Hospital and held demonstration
against the Health Department. They alleged that due to negligence and
carelessness of the Health Department, the young girl lost her life.
The deceased girl, daughter of Rameshwar Singh resident of
Mandi Thalora, was suffering from Dengue fever and admitted to District
Hospital on September 21, where doctors failed to give her adequate treatment, after
which she was taken to a hospital in Pathankote on September 25. She was
further taken to another hospital in Ludhiana on September 28, where she lost
battle for life.
An eye-witness told that protesting people had heated
exchange with the hospital staff after which the mob gone berserk and targeted
the hospital property. They smashed the glasses, window-panes and turned the
tables around besides throwing benches, he added.
Thereafter, the mob turned towards the adjoining office of
the CMO and held arguments with CMO Kartar Chand who tried to pacify the angry
mob but of no avail as he was also thrashed by the irate group of people. In
attempt to save the CMO, a lady official namely Nishu slapped one of the senior
citizens Prahlad Singh, which led to further aggravation. In the meantime,
Police prevailed upon the protesters and shifted the CMO to Government Medical
College, Jammu.
The agitated people then demanded suspension of lady
official Nishu with immediate effect on account of assaulting a prominent
senior citizen of the area. Sarpanch of Mandi Phalora, Varinder Singh was
leading the group of protesting people.
Singh alleged that Samba District Hospital was lacking
healthcare facility and due to it the young girl lost her life. “The Government
makes tall claims of improving healthcare infrastructure but here, in Samba,
nothing seems visible. Everything is in doldrums as more than sixty cases of
Dengue have been reported in the district but the Health Department is yet to
make any plan to deal with the epidemic like situation,” he further alleged.
He further said that behavior of lady official of CMO Office
was unwarrantable and she must be suspended. Later, to pacify the people
District Commissioner R K Verma visited the hospital premises and assured them of
necessary actions to streamline the healthcare system. He also ordered
attachment of lady official with BMO Nud and inquiry into the whole episode.
Earlier, a baby girl namely Mehak of village Kartholi in
Samba reportedly died of Dengue at SMGS Hospital. Meanwhile, official report
said till date there were 71 cases of dengue across the Jammu region, out of
which 60 alone were from Samba.
Officials further maintain that owing to changes in weather,
there is a greater probability of increase in malaria patients in the Jammu
region. They add that there were certain vulnerable pockets such as Gandhi
Nagar, Rajiv Nagar, Talab Tillo, Qasim Nagar and Bhagwati Nagar in Jammu city.
These localities are being constantly monitored to detect places which are
potential breeding grounds of mosquitoes.
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