CHENNAI: The condition of a migrant labourer from West Bengal who was admitted to the Rajiv Gandhi Government General Hospital on Monday has improved, while the condition of one still remains critical on Wednesday, said hospital sources.
Rajiv Gandhi Government General Hospital sources said the workers had last eaten white rice with onions on Friday, and nothing else for two days till Monday when they were admitted to the hospital.
A senior doctor at the Rajiv Gandhi Government General Hospital said five of the migrant labourers were diagnosed with acute gastroenteritis and dehydration.
Of the five, Samar Khan, who was critical, was taken off ventilator support and put on oxygen support on Wednesday. He had also been diagnosed with severe metabolic acidosis, a condition in which the acid level in body fluids is high, and hypovolemic shock, which occurs when the body loses too much fluids, doctors said.
Three patients, Manik Ghoroi, Samar Khan, and Sathya Pandit required dialysis due to severe fluid loss. They reported diarrhoea and vomiting, which doctors suspect to be from contaminated food or water.
Meanwhile, a press note from the Southern Railway mentioned that 12 passengers had unreserved tickets to Howrah and intended to board the Coromandel Express, from Chennai to Howrah. Among them, five passengers fainted, and railway officials gave them first aid at the emergency care centre in the station, before referring them to Rajiv Gandhi General Hospital.
A corporation official informed TNIE that the West Bengal government has provided financial assistance of `10,000 to seven of them moved to a shelter, and `25,000 for those undergoing treatment at the hospital.