Nail in eye, boy turned away by 5 hospitals

Kolkata: A boy with a nail stuck in one of his eyes was allegedly refused admission in five government-run hospitals in the city on Saturday and he suffered the pain for over ten hours. Karim Mollah, the patient, is a resident of Jibantala in South 24 Parganas. At around 12 pm on Saturday, a sharp nail accidentally pierced his left eye as he was playing at an under-construction building in front of his home.

As blood started oozing profusely from his eye, his family rushed him to Canning sub division hospital in the district. 

The eight-year-old boy was however referred to Calcutta National Medical College and Hospital in Park Circus where he was denied admission. Karim was referred to SSKM Hospital, the lone state government-run super speciality hospital in south Kolkata.

He was again refused admission before being sent to nearby Bangur Institute of Neurology. His ordeal continued as he was again referred to the Regional Institute of Opthalmology at Calcutta Medical College and Hospital from where he was sent to Nil Ratan Sircar Medical College and Hospital (NRSMCH), which also denied him admission initially.

After repeated pleas by Karim’s family, the NRSMCH authorities admitted the boy at night. The doctors conducted a 3D CT Scan on Karim to examine if his brain had also suffered damage. A previous CT Scan had revealed marks of injuries on the frontal lobe of his brain. 

The nail has been removed from his left eye with a surgery. Karim’s condition is stable now but doctors are not sure if he would get his vision back. 

As the news of refusal of admission reached the government, chief minister Mamata Banerjee intervened and reportedly expressed her concern. The chief minister’s Office sent a team of NGO officials to NRSMCH to coordinate with Karim’s family and the hospital authorities. According to sources, the state health department has decided to investigate the negligence by the five government-run hospitals. 

Significantly, Ms Banerjee is also the health minister. NRSMCH deputy superintendent Dr Dwaipayan Biswas described the refusal of admission as “most unfortunate.” 

He said, “I was not aware of the news which came out in the media. When I was informed by the hospital, I inquired it and found that the doctors were already treating the patient.” 

Dr Biswas, however, refused to comment on the allegation by Karim’s family. A medical board has been set up by the hospital authorities to monitor the boy’s condition.