5 govt hospitals refuse ICU facilities to Bihar policeman injured in line of duty

It took two months for the family of a Bihar Police Head Constable, who was injured in a road accident while on duty, to get him the treatment he required. Even then, the help came from a private facility while renowned government hospitals in the country turned them away.

Vipin Kumar Yadav, 47, met with an accident while going from the Bhagalpur Central Jail to the Sitamarhi Court for a hearing. As many as 7 of his 12 colleagues, along with a criminal, were killed on the spot. Yadav survived, but with several severe injuries, including a ruptured liver.

The injured were immediately taken to a local hospital, and that is where the Yadav family's ordeal began. Major government hospitals in Bihar denied him treatment, citing the lack of requisite equipment as the reason.

Meanwhile, his ruptured liver had led to renal failure, and the family was advised to take him to the All India Institute of medical Sciences (AIIMS) in Delhi.

In Delhi, yet another round of running around started for Yadav's daughter Priyanka Kumari, 17, and his wife Rambha Devi, who does not even speak Hindi. The family went from one hospital to the other, including AIIMS, Govind Ballabh Pant, and Ram Manohar Lohia, but everywhere, the government employee who was hurt while on duty was denied admission.

"When the first hospital refused to provide the treatment, it came as a big shock to us. The authorities at the Indira Gandhi Institute of Medical Sciences (IGIMS), Patna, made us wait outside the entire night and then refused to admit him. We had to move him to a private hospital, which cost us over Rs 6 lakh. Then we came to Delhi with high hopes, only to face the same scenario," Priyanka said.

Two more days were wasted looking for a hospital while Yadav's condition deteriorated rapidly. Finally, after consulting with her uncles, Priyanka decided to get Yadav admitted to a private facility.

"We opened his abdomen to remove the abscess that had collected due to the malfunctioning liver and kidney failure, and dead tissues," a Senior Surgeon at the Sri Balaji Action Medical Institute said. "He is out of danger now but is still critical. So, we are keeping him under observation in the Medical Intensive Care Unit (MICU)," he added.

Yadav's medical bills have been faxed to the Superintendent of Police in Bihar but the family is still waiting for a response.