Rat attack in hospital has patient rattled
OUCH! Kalyanmal Vijayvargiya, a diabetic admitted to Rajasthan Hospital, had his feet bitten by a rodent the size of a kitten
By Vipul Rajput and Yogesh Avasthi
Posted On Thursday, March 26, 2009 (Ahmedabad Mirror : http://www.ahmedabadmirror.com/index.aspx?Page=article§name=News%20-%20Latest§id=2&contentid=2009032620090326025205123ddec8467)
A 66-year-old diabetic undergoing treatment at Rajasthan Hospital in Shahibaug was scared out of his wits when he saw a rat nibbling at his feet in the middle of the night on Tuesday. Kalyanmal Vijayvargiya, from Kakroli in Rajasthan, had checked into the hospital on March 23 to get his swollen feet treated. A few hours later, he had rat bites to show on the big toe of his right foot and third toe of the left foot.
The embarrassed hospital authorities pulled up the house-keeping department and also shifted Vijayvargiya into a special suite. Rajasthan Hospital’s medical superintendent, Dr J K Parmar, said the issue was resolved amicably.He said, “It’s true that one of our patients was bitten by a rodent. But we have taken the necessary steps.
The rat-hole has been plugged and we have ensured that the patient doesn’t suffer any complications.”The incident was a double whammy for Vijayvargiya, who was diagnosed with diabetes earlier in the day. Paying a deposit of Rs 6,000, Vijayvargiya and his wife Shanta had opted for a semi-special room (409/A), at Rs 600 per day.
But they had no idea about the misfortune that awaited them. At around 1.30 am on March 24, he started experiencing irritation in his feet but in his slumber, brushed it aside. However, the irritation soon turned into a thorny sensation.Vijayvargiya asked Shanta to turn on the lights. His horror knew no bounds when he saw a rodent, the size of a kitten, rushing towards a small hole in a corner of the room. The rat had bitten off Vijayvargiya’s.Looking at the blood on the bedsheets, Shanta began screaming and knocking at the nurses’ retiring room. To her shock, a nurse told her to back off and said, “It’s not such a big deal. Don’t raise an alarm at this hour. When the doctor arrives in the morning, we will do the needful.”
Shanta then approached a ward boy sleeping nearby. A doctor was called up, who instructed a nurse to administer Vijayvargiya an injection. The soiled bedsheet was changed, and bandages were applied but the rat was determined to have one final say in the proceedings. Even as attendants were helping Vijayvargiya, the rat, having tasted blood, climbed up his victim’s bed one more time.
It was promptly shooed away and the hole from which it had emerged was temporarily blocked.A fuming Vijayvargiya had a massive showdown with the hospital authorities in the morning. He said,”I am absolutely appalled at the lack of hygiene in this hospital. Who would be responsible if I develop complications following rat bites? And how can a rat roam around in a hospital in the first place? I was so scared I couldn’t sleep for a second after the incident.”
EFFECTS OF RAT BITET
he most common consequence of a rat bite is fever, called rat bite fever by the doctors. In some cases, victims also suffer from salmonella and even rabies and Leptospera.
By Vipul Rajput and Yogesh Avasthi
Posted On Thursday, March 26, 2009 (Ahmedabad Mirror : http://www.ahmedabadmirror.com/index.aspx?Page=article§name=News%20-%20Latest§id=2&contentid=2009032620090326025205123ddec8467)
A 66-year-old diabetic undergoing treatment at Rajasthan Hospital in Shahibaug was scared out of his wits when he saw a rat nibbling at his feet in the middle of the night on Tuesday. Kalyanmal Vijayvargiya, from Kakroli in Rajasthan, had checked into the hospital on March 23 to get his swollen feet treated. A few hours later, he had rat bites to show on the big toe of his right foot and third toe of the left foot.
The embarrassed hospital authorities pulled up the house-keeping department and also shifted Vijayvargiya into a special suite. Rajasthan Hospital’s medical superintendent, Dr J K Parmar, said the issue was resolved amicably.He said, “It’s true that one of our patients was bitten by a rodent. But we have taken the necessary steps.
The rat-hole has been plugged and we have ensured that the patient doesn’t suffer any complications.”The incident was a double whammy for Vijayvargiya, who was diagnosed with diabetes earlier in the day. Paying a deposit of Rs 6,000, Vijayvargiya and his wife Shanta had opted for a semi-special room (409/A), at Rs 600 per day.
But they had no idea about the misfortune that awaited them. At around 1.30 am on March 24, he started experiencing irritation in his feet but in his slumber, brushed it aside. However, the irritation soon turned into a thorny sensation.Vijayvargiya asked Shanta to turn on the lights. His horror knew no bounds when he saw a rodent, the size of a kitten, rushing towards a small hole in a corner of the room. The rat had bitten off Vijayvargiya’s.Looking at the blood on the bedsheets, Shanta began screaming and knocking at the nurses’ retiring room. To her shock, a nurse told her to back off and said, “It’s not such a big deal. Don’t raise an alarm at this hour. When the doctor arrives in the morning, we will do the needful.”
Shanta then approached a ward boy sleeping nearby. A doctor was called up, who instructed a nurse to administer Vijayvargiya an injection. The soiled bedsheet was changed, and bandages were applied but the rat was determined to have one final say in the proceedings. Even as attendants were helping Vijayvargiya, the rat, having tasted blood, climbed up his victim’s bed one more time.
It was promptly shooed away and the hole from which it had emerged was temporarily blocked.A fuming Vijayvargiya had a massive showdown with the hospital authorities in the morning. He said,”I am absolutely appalled at the lack of hygiene in this hospital. Who would be responsible if I develop complications following rat bites? And how can a rat roam around in a hospital in the first place? I was so scared I couldn’t sleep for a second after the incident.”
EFFECTS OF RAT BITET
he most common consequence of a rat bite is fever, called rat bite fever by the doctors. In some cases, victims also suffer from salmonella and even rabies and Leptospera.
