Navi Mumbai: 12-Year-Old Girl Dies From Snake Bite After Medical Negligence; Sparks Protests In Pen

A 12-year-old girl from Jite village tragically passed away from snake bite, and this incident sparked allegations of negligence by government health staff. According to a report in the Times of India, the girl was taken to multiple hospitals in Pen, Raigad, but unfortunately, proper and timely treatment could not be administered. Following her death, local residents in Pen protested, claiming that the delay in treatment was due to the unavailability of anti-snake venom (ASV) injections in both government and private hospitals throughout the district, as well as the lack of ambulance services.

Civil Surgeon of Raigad Refutes allegations

However, the allegations of ASV unavailability were refuted by Dr. Ambadas Devmane, the civil surgeon of Raigad district. According to him, 21 ASV vials were administered to the girl. He explained that the delay in treatment occurred mainly at the primary health center and later at SDH-Pen due to the newly appointed doctor's lack of knowledge regarding the correct medical procedures for such cases. As a result, the patient was referred to a private hospital.

The unfortunate incident occurred when the girl was bitten by a venomous snake around 1.30 am on Wednesday. Her family rushed her to the primary health centre in Jite, but the doctor was unavailable and couldn't be reached as his mobile phone was switched off. Furthermore, no ambulance was available at that time.

Subsequently, she was taken to SDH-Pen, where the doctor referred her to Dr. Mahajan Private Hospital for an expert opinion. However, she was later referred back to SDH-Pen, leading to a considerable delay of around one and a half hours. Afterward, she was transferred to the civil hospital in Alibaug in a private ambulance and was put on ventilator support. The plan was to send her to MGM Hospital in a cardiac ambulance, but unfortunately, it was not available. Sadly, the girl passed away at around 9 am after reaching MGM Hospital.