Nagpur: The Bombay High Court on Friday took note of food poisoning patients being treated on a street outside a hospital in Maharashtra’s Buldhana district and sought an affidavit from the Government.
Government pleader P P Kakade submitted to the bench of Chief Justice D K Upadhyaya and Justice Arif Doctor that the hospital had a capacity of only 30 beds and around 150 persons had come complaining of uneasiness and stomach issues. “All the people had food poisoning after consuming ‘prasad’ from a local temple. The hospital capacity was only 30 but it had enough staff and medicines,” Kakade said.
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Thursday 09 Jan. 2025
He added that the patients were immediately treated and were discharged the next day. “Their condition was not serious. We could not treat them inside the hospital and hence treated them outside,” Kakade told the Court.
The bench then questioned what if anyone’s condition had suddenly turned serious. “How far is the district hospital from the place where this incident occurred? What if some patients suffered seriously and required urgent medicare?” CJ Upadhyaya asked.
Kakade said that the district hospital was 100 kilometres away and if any patient’s condition had worsened, then he or she would have been transferred there. The bench directed Kakade to file an affidavit submitting these details and posted the matter for further hearing after ten days.
The incident took place on Tuesday, February 20 night during the ‘Harinam Saptah’, a week-long religious event, at Somthana village in Lonar taluka, Buldhana District Collector Kiran Patil had said earlier. Images of the patients being administered fluids in an open space were reported by the media.
Over 300 people, including women and children, fell ill after consuming ‘prasad’ during a religious programme in Maharashtra’s Buldhana district.
Visuals showed several patients being treated outside a hospital due to a shortage of beds with saline bottles hung from the ropes that were hooked to the trees. Devotees from Somthana and Khaparkhed villages came to the temple at 10 pm to take ‘prasad’. After consuming the ‘prasad’, they complained of stomach pain, nausea and vomiting.
The people who fell sick were rushed to a hospital in Bibi village. But given the shortage of beds, most of the patients had to be treated on the road outside the hospital. Saline bottles were fitted on the ropes that were hooked to the trees.
Samples of ‘prasad’ have been sent to a laboratory for analysis and an inquiry will be initiated.
