PATNA: At a government hospital in Bihar, a Sprite bottle was attached to an accident victim instead of a urine collection bag due to a shortage of medical equipment.
The incident happened late on Tuesday evening when a patient was admitted to Sadar Hospital in Jamui district in an unconscious condition. The patient was brought to the hospital by a constable of Jhajha government railway police.
The video of the incident has gone viral, according to reports.
The incident has been reported at Jamui Sadar Hospital.
According to the locals, the doctor on duty asked the staff to provide a urine bag and drugs. He also instructed the staff to administer an insulin injection along with a gas pipe for resuscitation. The doctor then went for his rounds. As the hospital didn't have a urine collection bag, the staff attached a Sprite bottle instead.
Locals said that the Sprite bottle was arranged from somewhere.
Once hospital manager Ramesh Pandey came to know about the incident, he arranged a urine collection bag and replaced the Sprite bottle.
Medicines and insulin injection was also administered.
Pandey later told the media that he was not informed by the hospital staff about the shortage of urine collection bags and insulin injections.
“The facilities as per instruction of the doctor have been provided to the patient,” he claimed.
Defending the hospital authorities, Pandey said that the in charge of the storeroom was on leave as his leg was fractured in an accident.
“Had the in-charge been on duty, such an incident would not have happened,” he added.
“No such incident should take place. How it can happen? The government is providing all required medicines and other facilities,” he asserted.
Neither health minister Tejashwi Prasad Yadav nor any senior official of the health department was available for comments. However, an official of the health department said that the matter would be probed by the senior officials of the district concerned.
However, Opposition BJP has decried the state government for its failure to provide Medicare to the people of the state.
“Tejashwi is busy in politics. Who cares for the sufferings of the people?,” said former deputy chief minister and Rajya Sabha member Sushil Kumar Modi. The lack of medical facilities in government hospitals in the state has always been a matter of concern.