Mumbai: Rat bites coma patient in right eye in ICU, hospital alleges conspiracy

Parvinder Gupta is now being treated in the ICU

A rat bite on Monday added to the medical woes of Thane resident Parvinder Gupta, 27, by giving him an ulcer in his right eye. Parvinder, who has been in a vegetative state for over a month, is now being treated in the ICU of the Balasaheb Thackeray trauma care hospital in Jogeshwari. The hospital, which denies all claims, has not taken an official complaint of the rat bite incident and instead labelled it as a conspiracy.

Parvinder was brought to the hospital 15 days ago from a private hospital in Thane, after he slipped into a vegetative state while undergoing treatment for a swelling in his brain. This swelling came about one and a half year after he'd completely recovered from a road accident that had damaged the right side of his brain. He underwent surgery at the Thane hospital, but his family decided to shift him to Jogeshwari as their bill in Thane had shot up to Rs 10 lakh.

But more trouble awaited them. "On Monday, one of my relatives twice shooed off a rat moving on his [Parvinder's] head. Then, we fell asleep. When we woke up around 6.30 am, we saw him bleeding from his right eye. After the investigation, it was found that a rat had bit him. Then they shifted them to the ICU. We aren't even allowed to see him until they call us inside," said Rampalat Gupta, Parvinder's father, a daily wage earner.

Hospital denies
The hospital authorities have refuted the claims, labelling them as a conspiracy. "There is a group of doctors working together just to bring shame to our hospital. They have also conspired and given the family the idea to make false allegations," said Dr H Bhava, medical superintendent of the hospital. But documents with mid-day dated April 23, the day of the incident, clearly state, "Rat bite on right eye...bleeding through right eye, urgent ophthalmologist."

A senior doctor said, "This is not the first time his relatives saw rats on his head. As his eyes always remain half-open, it is easier for the rats to bite. And since he is in a coma, he couldn't even shout. Thankfully, his relatives checked on him," said the doctor.

Won't file plaint
Adding insult to Parvinder's injury, the staff also allegedly threatened his cousin when she wanted to file a complaint. "My brother's lower eyeball has been completely eaten by a rat. It has developed a dent. When I expressed my desire to file a complaint, the medical staffers began threatening me. I wasn't misbehaving or dancing for them to scare me with the presence of CCTV in the hospital. I went twice to the medical officer to file a complaint, but they didn't take it," said Shikha Gupta, Parvinder's cousin.

Rs 10 lakh
Amount Parvinder's family spent for his treatment in Thane

Also Read: Mumbai: BMC Spent Crores To Strategise, Catch, Kill Over 2 Lakh Rats Last Year

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