A reported rat attack on the body of an elderly patient at Maniktala ESI Hospital in Kolkata has triggered an internal investigation, while the family’s account and the hospital’s preliminary response leave the central circumstances awaiting confirmation.
The patient, identified as Alpana De of Andal in Howrah, had been suffering from kidney-related illness for nearly six years, according to a report by Sangbad Pratidin. She was admitted to the hospital’s female surgical ward on Thursday after her health deteriorated.
The family said they reached the hospital on Friday morning and learnt that she had died. They alleged that hospital staff had not informed them about the death earlier. According to the family’s account, they removed the covering from the body and found injuries across the face and hands. They also said that part of an eyelid, a portion of the lips and parts of the fingers appeared to be missing.
The family attributed the injuries to rats. Hospital authorities, as reported by Sangbad Pratidin, said that the body may have been gnawed by rats. That wording does not establish the cause of the injuries, and the hospital has constituted a 10-member committee to examine the incident.
The committee has been directed to submit its investigation report within three days. The supplied report does not identify the committee members, specify the precise location where the body was kept after death, or provide details of any post-mortem, medical examination or other documentary finding that could establish how the injuries occurred.
The incident has brought renewed attention to basic safety and maintenance conditions inside a public healthcare facility that serves a large number of patients each day. The report also carries complaints from patients’ families about unclean accommodation areas, alleged irregularities in food distribution and alleged rude behaviour by some hospital employees and doctors. These complaints are presented as allegations and are not independently established in the supplied material.
The institutional question is not limited to pest control. It also concerns how hospitals secure patients and bodies, record deaths, communicate with families and respond when a serious complaint is made. Those processes are especially important in crowded public hospitals, where families may depend on staff for information during medical emergencies and immediately after a death.
At present, the available account establishes that the family reported injuries on the body, that the hospital acknowledged the possibility of rat damage and that a 10-member inquiry committee was formed. It does not establish whether rats caused all or any of the injuries, when the damage occurred, whether the patient had been moved after death, or whether hospital protocols were breached.
The next confirmed step is the committee’s report, which the hospital has directed to be submitted within three days. Its findings will be necessary to determine the cause of the injuries, the responsibility for any lapse and the corrective action required at Maniktala ESI Hospital.
