23 tribal students hospitalised for suspected typhoid

PALGHAR: After a 12-year-old student of a government boarding school in Sakre village in Palghar died of typhoid on Thursday night, 23 tribal children aged between

PALGHAR: After a 12-year-old student of a government boarding school in Sakre village in Palghar died of typhoid on Thursday night, 23 tribal children aged between 10 and 12 were admitted to the Primary Health Centre (PHC) at Vikramgadh after they complained of severe headache, fever and vomiting.

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Seven were diagnosed with typhoid. One child was admitted to the Civil Hospital in Nasik as she had been suffering from similar symptoms. Her condition is said to be critical.

Vishnu Savra, tribal minister and guardian minister of Palghar visited the victim’s family and gave them Rs75,000 as compensation. He also visited the Vikramgadh hospital.

Rupesh Mhatre, Bhiwandi MLA and chairman of ST/SC committee of the government gave the family aid worth Rs25,000 of the committee’s funds.

Savra had earlier faced flak from the media for not responding to the malnutrition-related deaths in Palghar.

Dr Milind Khandvi, medical officer, Vikramgadh PHC said four girls and three boys were diagnosed with typhoid, while the others were later discharged.

Vivek Pandit, former MLA and president of the Shramjeevi Sanghatana blamed the hospital, citing a lack of adequately trained medical staff.

“There is no proper water supply, no warden and no doctors at the hospital. The state government has not done enough to appoint new doctors,” said Pandit.

Last Thursday, Kaushalya Bharsat,12, a resident of Avlicha pada in Vikramgadh and a Class 6 student of the Sakhre government boarding school died of typhoid.

She was reported to be suffering from high fever, body ache,vomiting and other symptoms of typhoid, said Dr Khandvi.

She was earlier treated at the Vikramgadh hospital and later shifted to the school,where she died, he added.