Mob ransacks hospital after 12-year-old’s death in Malda

MALDA, 15 SEPT: A mob ransacked the male medical staff office at Malda district hospital following the death of a 12 year-old student today. The raiders alleged negligence on the part of hospital staff as reason for the boy's death. The victim Sagar Singh (12) died from breathing problem. He was admitted to the hospital today with fever and respiratory problem. He was administered oxygen. The victim's relatives alleged the oxygen pipe was slipping out of his nose frequently and the patient was not getting adequate oxygen, which led to his death. The angry relatives alleged that despite repeated urgings to fix the oxygen tube so that the victim could inhale adequate oxygen, the nursing staff delayed to do so, which proved fatal in the end. The boy's death turned the relatives and locals violent and they attacked the nursing staff near the male medical ward and ransacked their office. The chief medical officer of health, Malda, Dr Srikanta Roy said: “I have asked the superintendent of the district hospital to investigate the incident and find out whether it was negligence on the part of the hospital staff or not. It is difficult to ascertain the cause of death without a medical investigation. Moreover, the oxygen cylinder might have contained a fault,” Dr Roy pointed out. SNS