‘Bihar govt running on ventilators’: Congress slams administration after 10-year-old rape victim dies in state-run hospital

Congress criticised the Nitish Kumar-led Bihar government after a minor rape victim, who was battling for life, died at state-run hospital on Sunday (Jun 1). Demanding an action against the hospital administration and the government, party leader Aditya Paswan said the state government is “running on ventilators”.

According to news agency ANI, the 10-year-old girl was first under treatment at the Sri Krishna Medical College and Hospital in Muzaffarpur for severe neck and internal injuries. The girl was then referred to Patna Medical College and Hospital (PMCH), where she waited for hours in the ambulance before finally being admitted, the Congress said.

Dr Abhijit Singh, the PMCH in-charge superintendent, told ANI, “After she arrived here, the doctor examined her in the ambulance. She was taken to the ICU, and doctors from all departments treated her for the entire night.”

However, the girl’s uncle, Virendra Paswan, accused the hospital administration of negligence, saying she was kept in the ambulance for three hours before being admitted to the hospital.

“The doctors referred us to Patna, but we didn't like it there either. It's not a good hospital. Yesterday, we came, and we waited for three hours in an ambulance. When everyone started creating a ruckus, they admitted her at 4 o'clock. There was no convenience for anything. The child was uneasy and started crying at night. The doctors got upset and gave sleeping medicine to the child all night long, and at eight o'clock in the morning, she died,” Paswan told the news agency.

Denying the allegations, Dr Singh said, “If such an incident takes place with anyone, the family will make allegations of negligence. We actively treated her right after we learned about this case. The doctor examined her in the ambulance, and then she was admitted.”

The girl’s uncle also alleged that he had to spend Rs 25,000 at the hospital despite it being a government institution. He said that the accused lured the minor girl by offering her chocolate near her aunt’s house and then took her to a maize field, where he raped her.

“The boy has been arrested. He strangled the girl and slit her throat. We called 112,” he said.

Congress slams Bihar govt

Slamming the NDA-led government, Congress leader Aditya Paswan said, “The Bihar government is running on ventilators, and this is just a pretence that a world-class hospital is being built.. If this were the case, it would not have happened to that girl, a Dalit; whether Dalit or poor, people are equal. If someone says you will have to struggle for one hour to admit the girl, it is a shame.”

Paswan demanded that the superintendent of the hospital be suspended immediately and also called for the resignation of Bihar’s health minister.