NALGONDA: In a shocking incident, rats were found to have bitten the body of a 35-year-old lorry driver at the Yadadri-Bhuvanagiri district referral hospital, allegedly due to the lack of a freezer in the mortuary on Tuesday. The victim, identified as Ravi, hailing from Pragatinagar, Bhuvanagiri town, had taken his life by hanging on Monday amidst family disputes and his body was shifted to the district hospital for postmortem examination later in the evening.
On Tuesday, when the medical staff went to the morgue for a postmortem examination, they discovered that rats had gnawed and consumed parts of the deceased’s forehead and cheeks. Outraged by the apparent negligence, the bereaved family demanded an investigation into the incident and strict action against those responsible.
The Yadadri-Bhuvanagiri district referral hospital had been often criticised for its inadequate facilities. Despite being designated as a district hospital and boasting qualified medical personnel, it is referred to as a “referral hospital” due to its practice of transferring emergency cases to Gandhi and Osmania hospitals in Hyderabad.
According to the locals, the Yadadri-Bhuvanagiri district referral hospital sees a daily influx of 200 to 300 outpatients and admits up to 100 inpatients. However, many critical cases are redirected to other facilities by the medical personnel, locals complained. TPCC general secretary P. Pramod Kumar accused the hospital of performing only deliveries and family planning operations.
N. Ramesh, a patient from Thurkapally mandal, complained of difficulties due to a shortage of ambulance drivers, forcing him to rely on private ambulances at exorbitant costs. TNIE reached out to hospital superintendent Chinna Nayak for comment but received no response at the time of reporting.
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