Death of Odisha boy due to dengue in Delhi: NHRC orders compensation for next of kin

BHUBANESWAR: The National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) has asked the chief secretary of the Delhi government to pay compensation of Rs 3 lakh to the next of kin of an Odia kid who had died of dengue in Delhi in 2015. Parents of the kid, who belong to Kendrapada district, had committed suicide after death of their only child.
The commission passed the order on May 12 after hearing the petition filed by rights activist Radhakanta Tripathy on October 12, 2015.The complainant has alleged that the victim Avinash Rout had died of dengue because he did not get admission in the hospitals and treatment on time. Similarly, several people have lost their lives because of this reason, he added.
Avinash, a seven-year-old boy, had died of dengue on September 8, 2015. Two days after the death of their only son, Avinash’s parents- Laxman Rout and Babita Rout- jumped to their deaths from a building after they failed to get their son admitted to a hospital in time. Two prominent private hospitals had allegedly denied admission of the patient. It had created hue and cry then.
The commission had pointed out lack of coordination, guidance and professionalism among the medical professionals, who were approached by the attendants of the patient Avinash. It held the Delhi government vicariously responsible and a show-cause notice was issued to the chief secretary of Delhi on this issue.
The commission had recommended the Delhi government to pay adequate monetary relief to the next of kin of the deceased family of Laxman Rout. The sub-divisional magistrate (SDM) Saket had submitted a report regarding the case. The Commissioner of Delhi Police was also directed to take appropriate action against the persons responsible for the incident. District collector of Kendrapada was also asked to provide legitimate relief and assistance to the family of deceased Laxman Rout.
Secretary of the Union ministry of health and family welfare was directed to take preventive steps to avoid such fatal incidents. “A cell phone app to assist the needy patient and their attendants for searching appropriate hospitals can be developed. The Centre may also think about providing first hand medical advice/counselling and medical care facility 24x7 in different nearby hospitals over telephone,” said the Commission in its order.
The commission has received an action taken report on November 5 last year from the Delhi government. It considered the report. After several rounds of hearing about the compensation issue, the commission finally on May 12 directed the chief secretary of Delhi to expedite the process of payment of compensation and submit the compliance report along with proof of payment within four weeks.