ROURKELA: On February 6, a minor school girl was rescued with suspected poisoning from a forest in Bisra around 9.25 pm. Over the next five hours, her parents had to hop from one hospital to another in Rourkela. She died at Rourkela General Hospital (RGH) at around 2.30 am without getting treatment.
Nine days after her parents ran from one place to another demanding alleged denial of treatment by three hospitals in the fateful night, district child protection officer (DCPO) Sribanta Jena on Sunday lodged an FIR at the RN Pali police station.
The FIR sought thorough investigation to find out the circumstances of the minor’s death and lapses on part of Bisra police and hospitals concerned, if any, for further action. The deceased’s father, a teacher in a private school in Bisra, said his daughter died after being denied treatment by three major hospitals of Rourkela.
After the girl went missing, he was at Bisra police station while his other family members and villagers traced her lying unconscious at a forest near Jharberna village. She was initially brought to Bisra community health centre (CHC) around 10 pm. After preliminary treatment for poisoning at the CHC, he said, the family waited for around 45 minutes for the 108 ambulance to take her to the RGH for further treatment.
He said the ambulance brought her to RGH and the hospital authorities put her in another ambulance immediately and sent her to a prominent private hospital, located within half a kilometre, at around 12 midnight. At the private hospital, a doctor told the girl’s aunt that she was allegedly sexually assaulted and critical and refused admission stating it was a police case, he said. The family left around 12.40 am and reached another private hospital at around 1.15 am.
Even as the girl’s condition was worsening in the ambulance, he said, the second private authorities blatantly refused admission stating the Ayushman Bharat health card would not work. The family assured to arrange the funds but no amount of request worked and they took the girl to the adjacent Ispat General Hospital (IGH). There too, doctors also allegedly refused to admit on the grounds of not having vacant ICU bed. The parents eventually returned to the RGH and at about 2.30 am she was declared dead.
On February 12, the victim’s father had written to chief district medical and public health officer (CDM&PHO) Dr SC Mohanty seeking action against the hospitals for denying admission to his daughter leading to her death without treatment for four and half hours.
From preliminary inquiry, the DCPO said, he found that Bisra CHC referred the minor to RGH but under what circumstances the ambulance driver took the girl to another hospital should be inquired. The girl was subsequently taken to two other hospitals and finally died when brought back to the RGH.
The DCPO quoting the inspector-in-charge said the parents of the minor accompanied their critically-ill daughter in the ambulance and the RGH also registered her entry. Why police did not escort the girl from the Bisra CHC should also be investigated, he added.
Earlier, Rourkela SP Nitesh Wadhwani had asserted the girl had consumed poison and there was no sexual assault.