SUBHASH MISHRA
Dhanbad, April 26: Indoor patients of Shahid Nirmal Mahto Medical College Hospital (SNMMCH) are living under fear of psychosis as bulls are invading their wards at late night frequently.
On Monday night the patients and their attendants in the male surgery ward had to face a tense situation when a black bull entered it. Notably, the bull did not harm any patient or attendant and returned after making a round of the ward.
An attendant of the patient said that the invasion of the bull at night in surgery, medicine and basement based other wards of the hospital is a common phenomenon. “Though the bull physically does not hit any patient, it sometimes eats up bread and other eatable items of patients,” said Ramesh Mahto, whose elder brother was admitted to the surgery ward.
However, Prof (Dr ) Anil Kumar of the surgery department, when contacted, said that no patient or attendant has ever complained about the entry of a bull at night in the ward. “ Moreover security personnel are deployed at all entry points 24X7. So there is no chance of bull entry,” he said.
The hospital superintendent when contacted on the telephone by media persons also denied having got any complaint from patients about the entry of a bull at night in the ward. But, at the same time, he said that since several points are opened, stray cattle enter the hospital campus frequently. “ I have requested the district administration several times for closing such open points of hospital campus from a safety point of view,” he said.
Bull’s menace has become a major problem in the coal city as in the last five months it has killed three people including a woman and injured half a dozen people severely.
Rattled by the menace, Dhanbad Municipal Corporation has hired a private agency of the Palamu district to catch stray bulls roaming on city streets and hand them over to district based Gaushala. The agency started the rescue but abandoned the campaign midway through the first week of April after the Gaushala management refused to accept bulls. DMC had offered the agency Rs 375 per bull for rescue.
