Case Slapped Against 2 Doctors; 37 Others Over 6-Year-Old Girl’s Death In Odisha’s Puri

Puri: Case has been registered by the police against two doctors and 37 others including hospital staff over the death of a six-year-old girl allegedly due to negligence in Astarang area of Odisha’s Puri district last year.

The case was registered following a direction from the Orissa High Court on a petition by the deceased girl’s father, Sukanta Senapati of Patasundarpur village under the jurisdiction of Astarang police station in the district, sources said.

The incident reportedly took place in October, last year when the girl, Rashmita, was down with fever and a local pharmacist, identified as Manoj Dalai, administered an injection, following which she turned unconscious, Sukanta and his family members said.

Thereafter, she was taken to Astarang Community Health Centre (CHC) where two more injections were administered. As there was no improvement in her condition, she was referred to another hospital where doctors declared her dead, they said.

Alleging that his daughter died due to wrong injection, Sukanta said the body was handed over to the pharmacist and some village seniors without performing postmortem. The body was also cremated in a clandestine manner, he claimed.

Though he approached the police over the incident, no step was taken. Unable to get justice, he then moved the High Court which gave direction for registration of case against the pharmacist, two doctors and 37 others, including medical staff and villagers, for their role in the whole incident, he said.