Days after the death of a teenage Hindu girl in Jharkhand’s Dumka after a stalker named Shahrukh set her on fire, her brother-in-law informed how the victim was subjected to medical negligence at the Dumka Sadar Hospital, reported Dainik Bhaskar
The 15-year-old Hindu girl suffered 3rd-degree burns after her neighbour Shahrukh Hussain doused her in petrol and set her ablaze. While speaking to Dainik Bhaskar, the victim’s brother-in-law informed, “I got a call at about 4:30 am and learnt about the incident. Immediately, I left for my in-laws’ house.”
“I saw that my sister-in-law had suffered severe burns. we wanted to take her to a private hospital but did not have sufficient money. We boarded an auto and took her to the Dumka Sadar Hospital instead,” he said.
“She was admitted to the emergency ward. Although it was the district’s biggest hospital and medical college, there was no ointment. I visited the nearby medical store and got her the required medicine. It is only then that the treatment began,” he further added.
He pointed out how the 16-year-old had to stay without medical dressing and the deplorable condition of the burn ward. “It did not have any amenities, beyond a bed and a fan. There was an AC installed, but it was non-functional. The burn ward was like a normal ward. Except for saline, she wasn’t provided anything,” he emphasised.
When Dainik Bhaskar reached the burn ward, they found the AC operational. On inquiring about the matter, the other patients in the ward confided that the AC was repaired after the young girl’s case came under the media spotlight.
According to surgeon Dr Shashi Kumar, who initially treated the victim, he said that the victim had suffered 90% burns and the treatment was started as per the protocol. “We did whatever was in our hands. The most important thing in a burn case is fluid circulation. We gave 12-13 saline,” he stated.
Due to the lack of facilities at the Dumka Sadar Hospital, the doctors referred the victim to Ranchi at 10 o’clock in the morning. However, the girl’s family did not have the necessary funds to arrange for an ambulance. Dainik Bhaskar reported that the hospital did not come to the family’s rescue.
The family grew anxious and tried calling friends and relatives to arrange ₹10,000. However, they could not arrange the funds till 5 pm. After reaching out to local leaders, the victims were able to secure an ambulance and left for Ranchi at 10 pm (12 hours behind the original schedule).
By the time the family reached the Rajendra Institute of Medical Sciences (RIMS), more than 24 hours had passed. It was only after 28 hours that the first dressing of the victim was conducted.
“If the dressing was done on the first day, she would have probably recovered,” the girl’s brother-in-law lamented. Despite being briefed about the seriousness of the girl’s case by the Dumka Sadar Hospital to RIMS, the latter did not do anything substantial, the family has stated.
According to the girl’s family, the hospital did not have the medicines to treat the burn injuries of the girl. Dainik Bhaskar reported that they had to buy the medicines from nearby pharmacies at their own expense.
The Air Conditioner at the burn ward of RIMS was not serviced for a long time. To add to the woes, the ceiling fan was not in a working state. The heat in the room worsened the pain of the victim.
Forced by circumstances, the victim’s family had to buy her a table fan worth ₹1000. The second dressing was scheduled to take place on August 26 but the victim’s condition deteriorated by then.
According to Dr Sheetal Malua, there is a systematic protocol for the treatment of burn victims. She pointed out how administering saline and antibiotics is crucial for victims with 60-65% burns. She added that dressing must be done immediately, which unfortunately took 28 hours in the case of the poor girl.
While talking to Dainik Bhaskar, the victim’s father said that his deceased daughter had apprised him of the advances of Shahrukh Hussain. He recounted how she had told him about Shahrulh’s threat of killing her. While he had planned to sort things out in the morning, Shahrukh attacked the victim at night, leading to her death on August 28.
Days after the girl’s death, videos of her last words went viral over social media. She could be heard demanding painful death for the accused, who set her on fire. “He should die the way I am dying today,” the Dumka girl had said. The Police have arrested both the accused, Naeem and Shahrukh.