Finally Nitish visits SKMC hospital in Muzaffarpur after 108 encephalitis deaths.

The extremely pathetic condition of one of the biggest hospitals in Muzaffarpur, Bihar compels us to hang out heads in shame.

About 108 children had died due to the dreaded encephalitis syndrome in this hospital creating quite a sensation in the country.

What’s is more pathetic is the fact that the chief minister of Bihar Nitish visits the hospital after more than two weeks and that too under pressure as the matter was much hyped in the electronic and print media of the country.

The most disheartening aspect of this whole shameful and tragic episode is that the health minister of Bihar and the top bureaucracy responsible for the lack are still trying to cover up the situation by passing the buck on others and trying to save their skin this way or that way.

The horrifying unhygienic and unliveable condition of the hospital unambiguously speaks of the fact that the patients are being treated as second grade citizens and untouchables in the Shri Krishna Medical College hospital of Muzaffarpur and other such hospitals of the state.

There is completely dearth of doctors especially the senior ones, the wards are full of filth and dirt emnating foul smell. The hospital drains are uncleaned and open, inviting risks to patients’ health and their relatives etc.

There are no sufficient beds for patients who are lying on floors. The food and fruits served to the patients are rotten and of substandard quality.

Even the hospital is devoid of requisite prescribed medicines. The stretchers are broken and in bad condition.

The hospital beds are totally unhyeginic. As per the statistics while in Kerala one doctor treats about six hundred patients in Bihar there is only one doctor for 28000 patients.

The doctors and employees of the government hospitals are totally negligent and pathetic towards the patients.

What is more worrisome and shocking is the fact the union health minister Harsh Vardhan and his entire ministry seems to be equally pathetic with his state minister caught on camera sleeping while the former addresse a press conference on the subject.

A child patient suffering from encephlitis had died in front of the union health minister who visited the hospital in Muzaffarpur two days ago.

Despite 108 deaths during the last 18 days though the union health minister Dr. Harshvardhan had visited the Bihar’s SKMC Hospital (responsible for these tragic deaths), the chief minister Nitish Kumar visited it after 17 days which itself speaks of the state’s apathy towards the patients.

So far no ray of hope has arrived to prove home the point that the union health minister in cordination with the Bihar CM has devised credible ways and means to set right the situation at the earliest.

Sounds shocking and uncalled for. Are the lives of poor and hapless children so cheap ? There are still 161 children addmitted in various hospitals of Bihar including at SKMC for the treatment of encephalitis syndrome.

The chief minister Bihar Nitish Kumar has to face tremendous protests from the highly furious and angered parents of the deads and those suffering for want of adequate treatment in the Muzaffarpur’s SKMC Hospital.

In India more than 6000 cases of encephalitis syndrome has been recorded, out of which lots of them have died unfortunately.

Similarly in Muzaffarpur itself about 1000 children had succumbed to this dreaded desease in a past decade due to the apathy of the hospitals and health authorities.

Bihar is passing through a health emergency and the governments of the day at the centre and in Bihar should initiate coordinated efforts to fight this menace with a strong hand, providing the patients of encephalitis syndrone all possible medical help and support, come what may. This should be the priority number one agenda of both the governments of Bihar and the centre.