THANE: For Ram Soni, a trip to a civic hospital after a leg injury should have ended with a plaster cast. Instead, the patient walked out with pieces of discarded cardboard strapped to his fractured leg, an alleged shortage of plaster of Paris (POP) at the KDMC-run Rukminibai Hospital in Dombivli leaving his family stunned, resulting in outrage among local residents.
Maharashtra Navnirman Sena (MNS) corporator Ganesh Landge, who visited the hospital after the incident, alleged that KDMC spends crores of rupees on medicines and medical equipment for patients, yet hospital staff are allegedly demanding money from them. He warned that the MNS would launch a major protest if the civic administration failed to improve the condition of its hospitals within a week. Former corporator and Congress leader Navin Singh also blamed the civic administration for the state of KDMC-run hospitals.
“If the KDMC administration fails to improve the condition of its hospitals within a week, MNS will organise a major protest and lock the Shastri Nagar and Rukminibai hospitals,” Landge said.
Because pOP was allegedly unavailable, there have also been recent incidents involving dog bites and now the use of cardboard to support a fractured leg. “KDMC hospitals are constantly in the news for negligence in the treatment of patients. There have been numerous incidents in KDMC hospitals, including deaths allegedly caused by the non-availability of vaccines and anti-venom, resulting in the deaths of two girls. These are extreme levels of negligence on the part of the commissioner. As the administrative head, he is responsible for this. We demand his transfer, or he should voluntarily resign. For how many years will they play with the lives of patients? During her visit, she reportedly found doctors and staff absent and patients queuing outside closed counters. She reprimanded the staff and warned that they could face suspension if the situation was not improved.
Patil told HT. The viral video also prompted KDMC mayor Harshali Thavil to visit Rukminibai Hospital on Friday evening and inspect the condition of the facility.
