BHOPAL: Another resident of Bhagirathpura in Indore, who was hospitalised following the contaminated water-triggered diarrhoeal outbreak in the area, has died.
Fifty-one-year-old auto rickshaw driver Hemant Gaikwad passed away at a premier private hospital in Indore on Tuesday night.
Gaikwad’s death marks the 25th death linked to the diarrhoeal outbreak in the city, although authorities have not confirmed all deaths as caused by diarrhoea or acute dehydration complications, pending an ongoing specialised audit of each case.
Gaikwad, the sole earning member of his family, which includes his wife and four daughters aged between 11 and 22 years, was initially hospitalised on 22 December at a private nursing home in Pardeshipura after suffering acute diarrhoea and vomiting, reportedly following consumption of contaminated water.
He was discharged a few days later and taken to Gujarat for cancer-related specialised medical treatment. As his condition worsened, he was admitted to Sri Aurobindo Institute of Medical Sciences (SAIMS) Hospital in Indore on 7 January, where he died on Tuesday night.
Doctors reported that he was suffering from cell carcinoma and kidney disease. While denying that diarrhoea caused Gaikwad’s death, Indore district chief medical and health officer Dr Madhav Prasad Hassani clarified, “He had recovered from diarrhoea completely, but owing to other serious health conditions, he was under treatment. He was diagnosed with cancer and it was pulmonary arrest which caused his death on Tuesday night.”
Eight other patients, aged between 23 and 72 years, who had fully recovered from diarrhoea and related complications but were suffering from pre-existing health problems, are currently under intensive treatment at various hospitals in the city.
During a hearing of petitions related to the Bhagirathpura deaths at the Madhya Pradesh High Court’s Indore Bench on Tuesday, the state government stated that Rs 1.21 crore had so far been spent on treating patients admitted to various hospitals following the diarrhoeal outbreak. Additionally, 21 bereaved families have received compensation of Rs 2 lakh each.
After hearing arguments from both petitioners and the state government, the double bench comprising Justices Vijay Kumar Shukla and Alok Awasthi, while posting the petitions for further hearing on 27 January, directed authorities to ensure that all records relating to the matter, including the tender for laying the drinking water line in Bhagirathpura and sample reports, are kept in safe custody.
The direction followed arguments by petitioners alleging a possibility of manipulation of the original records related to the tender and sample reports of the Madhya Pradesh Pollution Control Board.
