Rat Bites 85-Year-Old Woman At Mumbai’s Cooper Hospital, Family Alleges Negligence

Last Updated:September 08, 2025, 14:36 IST

The woman’s son-in-law said the family was in deep shock when they saw the "deep bite marks."

The woman's family informed about the incident to the hospital authorities. (AI-generated image)

An 85-year-old woman undergoing treatment at Dr. R. N. Cooper Municipal General Hospital in Juhu was bitten on her hand by a rat late on Wednesday night, her family has alleged. The patient, Indumati Chavan, a resident of Marol, had been admitted to the female medicine ward with dementia and a severe chest infection.

According to a TOI report, Chavan had been shifted from the intensive care unit to the sixth-floor ward on Tuesday (September 2). On Thursday morning, her grandson noticed bite marks on her left hand.

The woman’s son-in-law said the family was in deep shock when they saw the “deep bite marks." He added that the family lodged a complaint but later withdrew it. The son-in-law further claimed that another elderly patient in the same ward was bitten by a rat the following night, reported TOI.

Photographs of Chavan’s injuries circulated widely on social media on Friday, sparking outrage.

BMC medical education director Dr. Neelam Andrade told TOI that she had not received any official intimation of multiple cases but admitted that the rodent menace had been flagged.

Soon after the incident, pest control officials from the K-West ward were posted at the hospital and made suggestions to tackle the problem.

Chavan had been admitted to the hospital last Saturday with severe breathing difficulty caused by a chest infection.

The report also noted that rat-bite incidents are not uncommon in BMC hospitals, where housekeeping and pest control services for 10 hospitals have been outsourced to a private contractor.

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News india Rat Bites 85-Year-Old Woman At Mumbai’s Cooper Hospital, Family Alleges Negligence

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