Odisha: Union minister Jual Oram loses wife to dengue
ROURKELA: Jhingia Oram, wife of Union Tribal Affairs Minister Jual Oram, died of dengue at a private hospital in Bhubaneswar late on Saturday.
The 58-year-old was undergoing treatment for dengue and other complications for the last eight days.
A grief-stricken Jual said his wife was diagnosed with dengue on August 10 in Bhubaneswar. “Her platelet count dropped considerably and despite transfusion, she could not be saved,” he told mediapersons.
Two months back, Jhingia was treated for pneumonia in Bhubaneswar and after her discharge had been battling lungs fibrosis. While at Bhubaneswar, she was afflicted with denuge and was undergoing treatment at a private hospital, Jual’s close aide Bimal Bisi said.
Jual after his return from Delhi also tested positive for dengue and was admitted to the same hospital. On Saturday, at around 4 pm, Jhingia vomited blood and her platelet count dropped to 60,000. She was taken to the ICU but doctors could not save her. Jhingira breathed her last at around 10.50 pm and her body was brought to Sundargarh by Jual and others.
The union minister said Jhingia was a pillar of support for him and shouldered all family responsibilities which allowed him to pursue his long political career and discharge public responsibilities effectively. Jual who is yet to fully recover from dengue would leave for Delhi on Monday for health check-up at AIIMS.
Jhingia was buried as per tribal rituals at Jual’s native Kendudihi village in Lahunipada block of Sundargarh district on Sunday.
Earlier in Bhubaneswar, Chief Minister Mohan Charan Majhi and several ministers paid their respects to Jhingia. Condolences also poured in from Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan.
Rourkela MLA Sarada Prasad Nayak, Sundargarh collector Manoj Satyaban Mahajan, DIG acting as in-charge Rourkela SP Brijesh Kumar Rai, Bonai sub-collector Niranjan Sahoo and other senior government officers visited Jual’s house to pay their last respects to the departed soul.