Cardboard used as splint for fractured leg at Bihar Hospital, viral video sparks outrage

Patna: A government hospital in Bihar’s Begusarai district has come under scrutiny after a viral video showed a road accident victim’s fractured leg being supported with pieces of a medicine carton instead of a conventional plaster, sparking outrage and prompting an official inquiry.

The incident occurred at Manjhaul Sub-Divisional Hospital, where a patient, a resident of Maheshwara village under Nawkothi police station, was brought after a motorcycle accident near Harsain Bridge on the evening of August 3. He suffered a fracture in his leg and was taken to the hospital by local residents and relatives.

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According to the family members, hospital staff placed pieces of a medicine carton on both sides of his injured leg and secured them with bandages and rope before referring him to Sadar Hospital, Begusarai. A video showing the patient lying on a hospital bed with the carton strapped to his leg went viral on social media, triggering criticism over the condition of emergency care at the facility.

However, hospital authorities defended the procedure, saying the carton was used as a temporary splint, a medically accepted method to immobilise a fractured limb and prevent further injury.

Manjhaul Hospital in-charge Dr Abhinav Priyadarshi said the material was used only as an emergency measure.

“What you are calling a carton is a splint in medical science. When a bone is broken, the affected part must be immobilised to prevent further internal injury,” he said, reports TOI.

The doctor explained that there was no orthopaedic doctor or dresser available at the time and that the hospital did not have plaster facilities. He said using available material to restrict movement and reduce pain while transferring the patient to a higher medical centre was in line with emergency care practices.

Speaking to TOI, Begusarai civil surgeon Dr Ashok Kumar said he had taken note of the viral video and ordered an inquiry. “I have received the information. The video has gone viral. It will be investigated and, if anyone is found guilty, action will be taken,” he said.

Dr Kumar acknowledged that improvised materials can be used as temporary splints in emergency situations but said the circumstances surrounding the incident at the hospital would be examined.

The inquiry will determine whether the hospital staff followed proper emergency procedures or whether there were lapses in patient care and available facilities.

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