A three-day inquiry has been ordered at Maniktala Employees’ State Insurance Hospital in eastern Kolkata after the body of a woman who died while undergoing treatment was found with injuries on her face and hands that officials suspect may have been caused by rats.
The woman, identified as Alpana Dey, was a resident of Andul in Howrah district and had been suffering from kidney ailments for around six years, a hospital official said. She was admitted to the hospital’s surgical ward on Thursday after her condition deteriorated.
Her relatives said they reached the hospital on Friday morning after learning of her death. A family member told PTI that they were shocked to see multiple injury marks after removing the cloth covering the body. The injuries appeared to include damage to parts of the eyelids and lips, while the fingers also showed signs of injury, the relative said.
A preliminary assessment indicated that rodents may have caused the injuries. Officials, however, said a detailed inquiry was required to establish what happened. The Bengal health department has constituted a committee to examine the circumstances surrounding Dey’s death and the injuries found on her body.
The committee has been directed to submit its findings within three days. Its terms include examining whether there were lapses in supervision or maintenance at the state-run hospital. The inquiry is expected to establish the circumstances in which the body was kept and whether hospital protocols were followed after the woman’s death.
The incident has also brought renewed attention to complaints from patients and relatives about cleanliness, food services and the alleged conduct of hospital staff, a senior health department official said. These complaints are separate from the inquiry into Dey’s death and the injuries found on her body.
The reported incident places hospital upkeep and the protection of patients and deceased persons within the facility under scrutiny. Rodent control, sanitation, ward supervision and mortuary or body-storage procedures are all part of the hospital environment that the inquiry will need to examine, although the supplied report does not establish which specific area was involved.
The health department’s three-day deadline is the next official step. The committee’s report is expected to determine whether the injuries were caused by rodents and whether any supervision or maintenance failure contributed to the incident.
