A three-day inquiry has been ordered at Maniktala Employees’ State Insurance (ESI) Hospital in Kolkata after the body of a woman who died while undergoing treatment for kidney ailments was found with injuries that officials suspect may have been caused by rats.
The woman, identified as Alpana Dey, was a resident of Andul in Howrah district. She had been admitted to the hospital’s surgical ward on Thursday after her condition deteriorated, according to a hospital official. She had reportedly been suffering from kidney ailments for around six years.
Dey’s relatives said they learnt of her death after reaching the hospital on Friday morning. A family member told the news agency that they were shocked to find multiple injury marks on her face and hands after removing the cloth covering her body. Parts of her eyelids and lips appeared to be missing, while her fingers also showed signs of injury, the relative said.
A preliminary assessment suggested that rodents may have caused the injuries. Officials have not, however, established the cause, and the state health department has constituted a committee to examine the circumstances surrounding the death and the injuries found on the body.
The panel has been directed to submit its findings within three days. Its inquiry is expected to examine whether there were lapses in supervision or hospital maintenance. The available account does not state whether the injuries occurred before or after Dey’s death, and that question remains part of the investigation.
The incident has also brought renewed attention to complaints made by patients and their relatives about cleanliness, food services and the alleged conduct of hospital staff, a senior health department official said. The official stressed that these complaints were separate from the inquiry into Dey’s death and the injuries found on her body.
Maniktala ESI Hospital is a state-run facility serving patients under the Employees’ State Insurance system. The reported incident has placed operational issues such as ward monitoring, sanitation and post-death procedures under scrutiny, although no finding of negligence has been established at this stage.
The health department’s committee is the immediate institutional response. Its report, due within three days, is expected to clarify the circumstances surrounding the woman’s death, assess the suspected cause of the injuries and determine whether any supervision or maintenance failures occurred at the hospital.
