Patient plaster with cardboard

Patna: A case of alleged medical apathy has surfaced at Sugauli primary health centre (PHC) in East Champaran, where injured patients were seen lying on hospital beds with pieces of cardboard cartons tied to their fractured legs instead of proper plaster support.Videos of the incident went viral on social media, triggering outrage and raising questions over the availability of basic medical aid at government health facilities. In the clips, a man and a woman can be seen lying on beds with white bandages on their legs, supported by brown packaging material placed underneath.East Champaran civil surgeon Dilip Kumar said the injured were brought to the PHC late Wednesday night after a major road accident. “There was a head-on collision between a pickup van and an autorickshaw, in which one person died and others were injured.

The cardboard support was tied at the roadside before the injured were brought to the hospital,” he said.Kumar said the patients were given injections for pain relief after reaching the PHC. However, he admitted that the cardboard should have been removed and proper plaster or splinting should have been done at the hospital.“I will seek an explanation from the doctor in charge as to why the cardboard was not removed and proper treatment was not provided. A report will be sent to the health department and further action will be taken,” the civil surgeon said.