Saturday, October 25, 2014

#Rajasthan Govt pays Rs 1.5 lakh as relief in rat biting cases



On the intervention of the National Human Rights Commission in two peculiar cases of rat biting in Government Hospitals in Bewar and Jodhpur districts of Rajasthan, the State Government paid the monetary relief of Rs. one lakh and Rs.50 thousand respectively to the next of kin of the victims.

In the case related to the Government run Amrit Kaur Hospital, Bewar, the Commission found that the dead body of Janta Devi, who died due to drug reaction in the hospital on the 11th January,2012, was not kept safely in deep freezer but was left on the autopsy table itself. Rats bit parts of her right ear and left eye. One of the staff members of the hospital was terminated from the service for his lapses while disciplinary proceedings were initiated against the others.

Mr. Justice D. Murugesan, Member, NHRC took this as a serious violation of human dignity of the dead body of the woman and infringement of the human rights of its relatives. He recommended that the Government of Rajasthan pay Rs. one lakh to the next of kin of deceased.

The Government of Rajasthan, complying with the recommendations of the Commission, paid Rs. one lakh to Beer Ram Singh, husband of deceased Janta Devi. The proof of payment has also been submitted.

In the other case, rats had bitten the face of a 70 year old patient in the night of the 10th January, 2012 in the Intensive Care Unit of Mathura Das Mathur Government Hospital, Jodhpur which caused excessive bleeding. The Commission observed that the lack of adequate care of the patient in the hospital resulted in violation of his human rights for which the State is liable. Having received no reply to its show cause notice, Mr. Justice D. Murugesan, Member, NHRC assumed that the State had not views on the issue and therefore recommended a monetary relief of Rs.50 thousand to be paid to the victim by the State Government.

The Government of Rajasthan has submitted the proof of payment made to Smt. Shahjahan, Wife of the victim Iqbal Mohammad, who is no more now.