Patient bitten by rat in Mumbai's civic hospital dies; mayor orders probe

Mumbai: A 24-year-old patient, who was bitten by a rat near his eye at a civic-run hospital in suburban Ghatkopar, has died at the medical facility, BMC officials said. The patient was suffering from alcohol-related liver disease and was in a very critical condition since the day of his admission in the Rajawadi Hospital, they said, adding that he died on Wednesday. On Tuesday, a relative of the patient alleged that a rat had bitten near his eye, when he was admitted to the ICU of the hospital, prompting Mumbai Mayor Kishori Pednekar to order a probe into the matter. The hospital management had confirmed the rat-bite incident, but said injuries were “superficial” and the patient’s eye was not affected. According to the officials, the patient was brought to the hospital in an unconscious state. On Tuesday, reacting to the rat-bite incident, the hospital’s Dean Dr Vidya Thakur had said they have taken some rodent repellent measures and will take utmost care to avoid such incidents. BJP Lok Sabha member from Mumbai North East Manoj Kotak on Tuesday hit out at the Shiv Sena-ruled Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) over the rat-bite incident. “The BMC is said to be Asia’s largest civic corporation, but it does not have enough measures to protect patients from mice. The family at the receiving end is in shock,” said Kotak, whose constituency covers Ghatkopar, where the hospital is located.