The Aam Aadmi Party's Mumbai unit on Wednesday held a demonstration against Mayor Kishori Pednekar on her "negligence in repairs and maintenance of civic hospitals" across the city. The protesters held a demonstration in front of RN Cooper Hospital-HBT Medical College "to emphasize the severity of the unacceptable occurrence". The protestors wore masks and were dressed as rats to shame the BMC authorities, said an AAP release.
For the uninitiated, a patient on a ventilator in the intensive care unit (ICU) of the civic-run Rajawadi Hospital in Ghatkopar was found to have been bitten by a rat on June 21 midnight. Pednekar confirmed the development and asked the hospital administration to take serious note of the incident. Following which, the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) has ordered an inquiry. Doctors said that the injuries were ‘superficial’ and the patient's eye has not been affected.
Dr Vidya Thakur, dean, Rajawadi Hospital, said such an incident should not have happened. The injuries of the patient are superficial, still it could have been avoided. There is no threat to the eye and the injuries are being treated at our hospital. “The ward (where the incident took place) is on the ground floor. Some people dump garbage in hospital premises despite being told not to do so. It could have attracted rodents there,” she said.
Incidentally, this is the third such incident reported in the last four years at the civic-run hospitals. In 2017, a rat had nibbled one of the patients and gnawed the feet of another patient at the hospital. Another incident was reported in April 2018, when a 27-year-old comatose patient from Thane had alleged that his right eye was nibbled by a rat at the civic-run Bal Thackeray Trauma Care Centre in Jogeshwari. However, the hospital authorities refuted the allegations.
Meanwhile, the AAP has slammed the BMC and Pednekar over the shocking incident. "What makes this even more appalling is that the mayor has an extremely cavalier approach to the incident, with absolutely no cognizance of the underlying miserable state of affairs at our government hospitals, that this incident unveils," the party said.
"What has happened at Rajawadi hospital is extremely unfortunate. Is this supposed to be the Mumbai Model that the BMC is glorifying in the media We demand an immediate inquiry into those responsible for the hygiene and maintenance of Rajawadi Hospital, and the immediate resignation of Rajawadi's Medical Superintendent. Mayor Kishori Pednekar must also be held accountable for such gross negligence in Mumbai's hospitals.” said Aaditya Manjrekar, Working President, AAP Youth Wing, Mumbai.
