Cuttack: After battling for her life for a month following a snake bite, Manjula, the nine-year-old girl of Balijhar village in Haldi panchayat of Raighar block in Nabarangpur district, was admitted to the SCB Medical College and Hospital here on Wednesday.
SCB Emergency Officer Dr Bhubanananda Maharana said the minor girl has developed gangrene on her right upper limb and the first priority would be to save the damaged part of her hand.
“A team of doctors comprising Prof Jayant Kumar Biswal of the Surgery Department and Dr Bibhuti Nayak of the Plastic Surgery Department have examined the condition of the upper right limb of the girl. We will try our best to save the damaged part. As directed by the state government, the minor girl will be treated for free,” Maharana said.
Asked if there was an urgent need to amputate the damaged part, he said in that case, efforts would be made to save the life of the minor girl. “We are currently focussing on saving the damaged portion of the hand,” he pointed out.
The grandfather of the minor girl, who accompanied her to SCB, was optimistic about her recovery. “I want my granddaughter to recover early and return to the village,” he said.
Umakant Mishra, the ambulance driver of the Community Health Centre (CHC) at Umerkote, who brought the minor girl to SCB, thanked the efforts of the Nabarangpur collector and the CDMO to save her life.
“After the collector and the CDMO came to know about the condition of the girl, she was admitted to the CHC at Raighar from where she was shifted to Umerkote CHC and then to the district headquarters hospital in Nabarangpur. When the doctors there referred her to the SCB after examining her right upper limb, we left the hospital around 11.30 pm and arrived here at 11.30 am today after a 12-hour journey. I have seen the condition of the girl. All my hard work will be compensated if she recovers completely,” Mishra said.
Nabarangpur collector Dr Ajit Kumar Mishra had told the media on Tuesday that financial assistance of Rs 10,000 from the District Red Cross Society has been provided to the family member of Manjula. “Arrangements have been made for the free treatment of the minor girl. If necessary, more financial assistance will be provided from the Chief Minister’s Relief Fund (CMRF),” he added.
The incident took place a month ago when a cobra bit Manjula in the courtyard of her house. However, the family members, instead of admitting her to the hospital, kept the girl in the house.
The family members later brought the snake and kept it under a plastic basket with a belief that by keeping the snake in confinement without feeding, the minor girl will recover gradually.
After coming to know about the confinement of the cobra, a team of forest staff of Raighar forest range rushed to Balighar village on Wednesday and rescued the snake in a critical condition and took it to the veterinary hospital at Raighar for treatment. The cobra will be released into the wild once it recovers, the forest staff said.
