‘Running on ventilator': Congress slams Nitish Kumar government after minor rape victim dies in state-run hospital

The rape victim's uncle alleged negligence on the hospital administration and doctors's part, & said she was kept in the ambulance for 2 hours before admission.

The Congress came down heavily on the Nitish Kumar-led Bihar government after a 10-year-old rape survivor died at Patna Medical College and Hospital (PMCH) on Sunday, saying that the administration is “running on ventilator”.

The in-charge Superintendent of the PMCH denied allegations levelled against the hospital by the minor girl's uncle. (PTI/File Image)

According to a report from the news agency ANI, the girl was initially under treatment at the Sri Krishna Medical College and Hospital in Muzaffarpur on May 26. She had severe neck and internal injuries.

The PMCH in-charge superintendent, Dr Abhijit Singh, told the news agency, "After she arrived here, the doctor examined her in the ambulance. She was taken to the ICU, and doctors from all departments treated her for the entire night."

The minor girl's uncle Virendra Paswan alleged that the accused lured the 10-year-old by offering her chocolate near her aunt's house and then took her to a maize field where he raped her.

"The boy has been arrested. He strangled the girl and slit her throat. We called 112," he said.

Additionally, Paswan has alleged negligence on the part of the hospital administration and doctors, saying that she was kept in the ambulance for two hours before being admitted to the hospital.

"The doctors referred us to Patna, but we didn't like it there either. It's not a good hospital. Yesterday, we came, and we waited for three hours in an ambulance. When everyone started creating a ruckus, they admitted her at 4 o'clock. There was no convenience for anything. The child was uneasy and started crying at night. The doctors got upset and gave sleeping medicine to the child all night long, and at eight o'clock in the morning, she died," Paswan told the news agency ANI.

These allegations have been denied by Dr Singh. "If such an incident takes place with anyone, the family will make allegations of negligence. We actively treated her right after we learned about this case. The doctor examined her in the ambulance, and then she was admitted."

Further, the minor victim's uncle alleged that he had to spend ₹25,000 at the hospital despite it being a government institution.

"PMCH hospital is negligent. This hospital means that anyone who comes will become a dead body. Even the doctor is negligent. Yesterday morning, they said that everything would be taken care of at a government hospital, but they take money to give blood; no money means no blood. Here we spent ₹25,000," he said.

Paswan added that if one gives blood, then they will get blood, otherwise, they won't. The hospital administration is negligent, he reiterated.

Congress slams Nitish Kumar govt

The incident has drawn the ire of Congress, whose party leader Aditya Paswan demanded action against the hospital administration and the government.

Aditya blamed the NDA-led Bihar government for the negligence of the doctors at PMCH and demanded that the superintendent of the hospital be suspended immediately. He also called for the resignation of the state health minister.

"The Bihar government is running on ventilators, and this is just a pretence that a world-class hospital is being built.. If this were the case, it would not have happened to that girl, a Dalit; whether Dalit or poor, people are equal. If someone says you will have to struggle for one hour to admit the girl, it is a shame," he added.

Citing that the girl was made to wait in the ambulance for over two hours, Aditya Paswan said, "There is a system where there is no cost to the life of a Dalit, then there is no price for the life of the poor, then there is not point in staying with such a government".

The Bihar spokesperson for Congress told news agency ANI," When we met the superintendent there, he said that he had to refer to Patna. We asked for a reference to AIIMS, which has better facilities, but for some reason, he referred us to the PMCH. After arriving at PMCH, the girl was lying in the ambulance for about two and a half hours."

"Following that, we came with the state president. I brought Mr Rajesh Ram with me... We met the superintendent. After struggling for one hour, the girl was taken away. If the girl had been admitted on time, then today the girl would not have died," he added.