MADURAI: A 39-year-old person with mental illness and a leg ulcer was allegedly abandoned outside the premises of Government Rajaji Hospital by the hospital staff on Friday.
According to sources, the patient, Prakash Raj from Mapalayam in Madurai, was admitted to the GRH a month ago with an ulcer on his leg. "He was found roaming outside the hospital premises for allegedly smoking and drinking alcohol, for which he had been taking alms from people on the road too.
On Friday morning, the shopkeepers near the hospital found the man lying on the roadside in an abandoned condition, with wounds in his leg covered by maggots, and informed the members of the Indian Red Cross Society. With their help, the man was taken back to the hospital for treatment," sources said.
They further alleged that the man must have been abandoned by one of the hospital staff as the patient cannot walk on his own or move around with wheelchair support.
Dean of GRH Dr A Rathinavel said the patient is mentally not stable and is aggressive by nature. "It is quite a challenge to treat him. He was admitted to the hospital without an attender. We are giving him care and treatment.
Once he is stable in his health, he will be shifted to an orphanage in Thoppur. We have treated around 90 similar patients over the past 10 months. An inquiry is underway to know if he went out on his own or if a staff member let him out," he said.