Mamata visits injured patients, collapse toll rises to 32

Mamata visits injured patients, collapse toll rises to 32

23 October 2011
statesman news service
SILIGURI, 23 OCT: Chief minister Miss Mamata Banerjee, during her visit to North Bengal Medical College and Hospital (NBMCH) today, asked the authorities concerned to bear all medical expenses required for the injured patients admitted here.
A total of 19 patients, including five women and a 10-year-old boy, were admitted to NBMCH after a hanging foot-bridge collapsed at Bijanbari in Darjeeling yesterday evening. The incident has claimed 32 lives so far.  Of the 19 patients, Dipesh Mailani succumbed to his injuries at NBMCH, said medical superintendent Dr Saibal Gupta. According to Dr Gupta, two to three patients are in a critical condition and they require neurosurgery, which is not available at NBMCH.
Miss Banerjee, on her way to the Hills, met the injured and their relatives at NBMCH today and asked the hospital authorities to procure all medical assistance, which are not available here, from private health centres. She has also asked them to provide food and shelter for the relatives of the patients at NBMCH.
Miss Banerjee asked the authorities concerned to properly utilise the recently-allotted funds worth Rs 16 crore for NBMCH for better patient care services. Dr Gupta said: “We wanted to inform the chief minister about several problems, including the CT scan machine, which is still not functioning. But we could not tell her due to lack of time and overcrowding on the hospital premises.”
“In the absence of CT scan, we had to arrange for MRI, which is available here, for some critical patients and called specialists for required neurosurgery from outside. Two patients require neurosurgery but we do not have the facility here. We have decided to shift one critical patient to a private nursing home,” Dr Gupta said.
“A 10-year-old boy is under ‘conservation management’ at the medical college. We are yet to decide whether we should refer him to other medical institution,” he added.
The NBMCH authorities have made a separate arrangement to provide food and accommodation for relatives of the patients from today, following the chief minister’s instructions.