Critical patient bitten by rat near his eye at Indian hospital dies

‘What happened to our brother should not happen to other patients,’ says family member

File image: Family of a patient alleges a rat had bitten him in the hospital, causing his death (AFP via Getty Images)

A 24-year-old critically ill patient who was bitten by a rat inside a government-run hospital in the city of Mumbai has lost his life, according to reports.

The hospital management confirmed to media outlets that the patient had suffered a rat bite but claimed his injury was not responsible for his death and did not affect his eye.

Officials of the city’s civic body — Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) — have said that the man was suffering from alcohol-related liver disease and was in a serious condition in the ICU.

The incident took place in the Rajawadi hospital in the area of Ghatkopar in Mumbai, where the patient, identified as Srinivasan Yellapa was admitted for treatment of meningitis and liver-related health problems.

A relative of the patient told Indian media outlets he was bitten near his eye by a rat in the hospital, prompting an enquiry by the authorities.

He was reportedly admitted to the hospital on Sunday and lost his life on Tuesday. The exact cause of his death is awaited as authorities are looking into the matter.

Yellappa’s sister Yashodha told news channel India Today that her family was not allowed to see him the day he died and was only later informed of his demise.

“What happened to our brother should not happen to other patients. We will seek justice for my brother. Why we were kept outside the hospital. We will ask the police to investigate this case and take action against those responsible,” Yashodha was quoted by news channels as saying.

On Tuesday, reacting to the rat-bite incident, the hospital’s Dean Dr Vidya Thakur told reporters that the hospital will take some rodent repellent measures in the future, but blamed patients for leaving food in the ward.

“The patient was admitted to the ground floor of ICU. Food kept by patients in the ward is one of the reasons for the presence of rats. We have issued warnings to patients not to leave food products behind. We regularly use sticks and rat traps. We will take corrective measures so that such incidents are not repeated in the future,” Ms Thakur said.