Puducherry: Class 8 student dies, activists demand staff appointment at Karaikal Government Hospital

Karaikal: In a shocking incident, the mother of a Class 8 girl poisoned to death her classmate who had topped the examination. Criticizing the hospital for the inability to save a young boy due to a staff crunch, Karaikal activists warned that they would stage a protest if the district collector failed to hire more staff at the Karaikal Government General Hospital. 

Recently, Karaikal activists met with the district collector L Mohamed Mansoor demanding more staff to be appointed at the hospital soon.

This happened two days after a 13-year-old boy Balamanikandan who was a class 8 student, died at the hospital due to a lack of proper treatment since the hospital was reeling under a staff shortage.

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The incident caused a stir on social media that blamed the hospital management for their alleged negligence and lack of outlook on the situation.

Failing to save the child, Activists from a social media group, Karaikal Poraligal Kuzhu, took a stand and demanded quick action regarding the unfortunate incident. They said the boy could have been saved with the proper treatment if provided immediately.

A 43-year-old woman poisoned the boy for scoring higher marks than her daughter and has been arrested by the police. The boy, after consuming the poisoned soft drink, was immediately rushed to a private hospital, and he returned home after treatment. However, he fell sick again on Saturday and was admitted to the Government General Hospital in Karaikal, but he died at night on the same day.

The activists said that a protest would be staged in the coming weeks if their demands are overlooked, TNIE reports. 

MI Mohammed Farook, the group's founder, said, "The hospital is functioning with insufficient doctors, nurses, health workers, and technicians. Some of the staff are working in Puducherry on deputation. Karaikal administration must take action and direct them to report back to the hospital."

A Prabakar, Acting President, said, "The hospital lacks specialized doctors, and it is dependent on facilities in other hospitals during emergencies."

Meanwhile, they also demanded a detailed investigation into the death of R Balamanikandan.

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