Occultist caught treating snake-bite patient at civil hospital in Palwal, inquiry ordered

Gurugram: An occultist was caught treating a snake-bite patient outside the emergency ward of the civil hospital in Palwal, prompting health department to order an inquiry, officials said on Thursday

Gurugram: An occultist was caught treating a snake-bite patient outside the emergency ward of the civil hospital in Palwal, prompting health department to order an inquiry, officials said on Thursday.

Her panicked family members called an occultist, who started performing rituals at the ward entrance in presence of other patients, claiming he could “extract” the venom from her body.

The incident took place between 2pm and 2.30pm on Tuesday when a 20-year-old patient, a resident of Chandhut, was brought to the hospital by her family after she was bitten by a snake.

Officials said the patient was administered anti-venom and kept under observation. However, her panicked family members called an occultist, who started performing rituals at the ward entrance in presence of other patients, claiming he could “extract” the venom from her body.

Hospital officials said the family had recorded the incident, and a video of it surfaced on social media on Thursday.

Dr Sanjay Kumar, senior medical officer of Palwal civil hospital, said the hospital staff noticed the incident and alerted senior doctors.

“The suspect was immediately removed from the premises. The patient was kept under observation for several hours before being referred to Shaheed Hassan Khan Mewati medical college and hospital at Nalhar in Nuh from where she was discharged after a complete recovery on Tuesday night,” he said.

Dr Satinder Vashisht, chief medical officer, Palwal, said the matter came to her notice after the video surfaced on social media. “We are carrying out an inquiry into how the incident took place. As per information available so far, the suspect was known to the patient’s family and entered the hospital as an attendant,” she said.

Officials have been directed to sensitise guards and hospital staff to prevent such incidents in the future, she added.

Meanwhile, the patient’s brother said she was working in the family fields when a snake bit on the right hand.

“She raised an alarm and we rushed her to the hospital. The occultist was already present inside the hospital premises and asked us if everything was okay. After I told him about the bite, he offered to treat her and started performing rituals using neem leaves and other items,” he said.

He said the occultist continued the rituals for several minutes before private guards removed him from the premises. “Doctors had also treated my sister and she recovered,” he added.