No doctors at PHC, two tribal boys die of snakebite

The teacher, Mangu Pawara, then took the boy to a rural hospital, where the doctors declared the minor brought dead. The second boy, Rohit, had no mode of transportation.After waiting for help, the teachers mounted him in a cloth tied to two bamboo sticks and carried him till the main road, which was 15 minutes away. He was then taken to the hospital in an ambulance, but died before he could reach.

Teachers said both boys were crying through the night, but never mentioned a snake bite. Post-mortem revealed both boys to have snake venom in their bodies. Pravin was found to have been bitten behind his ear, and Rohit on his hand.

Dr Shivaji Pawar, medical officer at Roshmal PHC, said, “The roads here are in poor condition and transportation becomes a problem. Today, we had to walk to the PHC in heavy rain.” He said that while the PHC has anti-snake venom, the second doctor has gone away for training in Nashik, due to which no one is available during the night to handle emergency cases. Pawar works during the day.

“In this case, it seems the child either suffered neurotoxicity or haemotoxicity,” he said. Locals said it had been raining in Nandurbar since Sunday, which may have forced snakes out of their burrows.