BHOPAL: Yet another shocker has been reported at a government hospital in Madhya Pradesh. In the latest incident in Sheopur district, a tantrik (faith healer) was allowed to perform rituals with a neem tree branch allegedly to treat a snake bite patient.
The superstitious rituals performed by tantrik Purushottam Bairwa on the snake bite patient Yogendra Singh Rathore continued for around 15-20 minutes inside the emergency ward of the hospital on Thursday. Surprisingly, instead of putting a stop to it, the on-duty hospital staff remained mute spectators.
It was only after local journalists arrived and the patient lying on the stretcher started complaining of a choking sensation that the tantrik, called by the patient’s attendants, left, but only after claiming on camera that his treatment alone could save the patient’s life. The episode came to light on Friday after a video clip went viral.
The rituals were performed on the patient by the tantrik even after he had already been put on intravenous medication by hospital staff.
When contacted, the Resident Medical Officer at the hospital Dr SN Bindal expressed ignorance. “You’ve brought the matter to my knowledge, I’ll enquire about it and take necessary action against those found wanting,” he said.
The episode happened just a few hours before medical fraternity from across the country converged in Bhopal on Friday for a conclave on the Kamal Nath government’s ambitious plan to bring Right to Health legislation in the state.