Agra: Infected with rabies, girl waits admission in hospital for 7 hours, dies

AGRA: In a shocking case of callousness, an eight-year-old girl child, who was infected with rabies and was in a critical condition, was denied admission in Agra’s Sarojini Naidu Medical College (SNMC). The girl’s poor parents waited outside the emergency ward for seven hours but were told by the doctors to take her to Delhi for treatment, something they could not afford. On Friday evening, the girl died in lap of her mother outside the emergency ward.The SNMC administration has now ordered a probe.
According to sources, Anju, eight-year-old daughter of Ramveer Singh, a resident of Khajuapura village of Bah block in Agra, was bitten by a stray dog around a month back. Ramveer made several rounds to the local community health centre (CHC) along with his daughter but didn’t get the anti-rabies vaccine (ARV).
On Friday morning, when the condition of the girl worsened, her parents took her to the CHC where the doctors referred her to SNMC.
Ramveer arrived at the emergency ward of SNMC with his daughter around 12:30 pm, from where he was sent to the children’s ward. Meanwhile, the girl’s health condition was deteriorating and she was suffering severe body ache and fever.
At the children’s ward, he was told that the girl was critically infected with rabies virus and could not be treated locally. He was told to take her to Delhi.
Ramveer, a labourer, was unable to take her to Delhi and afford her treatment there. Hence, he rushed back to emergency ward and pleaded with the doctors there to try and save the girl.
A policeman on duty at the emergency ward told TOI, “He told the doctors about his poor financial condition and his inability to take her daughter to Delhi, but the doctors asked him to get out of the emergency ward.”
Superintendent in-charge of SNMC, Dr SK Majumdar, said, “The child was in a critical condition. She was severely infected with rabies virus and was suffering hydrophobia (fear of water). We don’t have adequate arrangements to tackle such cases. Therefore, the doctors referred her to Delhi. However, an investigation has been ordered by the principal to find out more details.”
“It should be noted that the first dose of ARV should be given right away. The patient was brought after much delay. There is almost 100% mortality rate in the last stage of rabies,” he added.
Meanwhile, SNMC principal GK Aneja could not be contacted despite repeated attempts.
Agra chief medical officer Mukesh Kumar Vats said, “If the father of the patient was poor and not able to arrange for her daughter’s transportation to Delhi then 108 ambulance service should have been called. I would have definitely made arrangements. But neither the father of the girl nor anyone from SNMC contacted me.”
“Besides, in case ARV is not provided at local health centres, patients should immediately visit the district hospital. If it is denied there too, they should directly come to my office. I will make it available,” the CMO said.
Provided free of cost at government health centres, ARVs frequently go out of stock at district hospitals. The situation is worse at public and community health centres. In the open market, the maximum retail price of each vial of vaccine is Rs 380. However, shopkeepers claim short supply and charge up to Rs 700.
Most government hospitals and dispensaries across the country have been facing an acute shortage of anti-rabies vaccine for almost a year now. According to an official estimate, there is a 20-80% shortage in anti-rabies vaccines in almost all states.
The World Health Organisation (WHO) says that India accounts for 36% of rabies deaths that occur worldwide each year.