Odisha boy’s death: Naveen urges Kejriwal to take action

Odisha Sun Times Bureau
Bhubaneswar/New Delhi, Sep 15:

Odisha Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik today urged Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal to take action against the hospitals that allegedly refused to admit a dengue afflicted boy from Odisha leading his shattered parents to jump to death in a heart-rending case of suicide pact.

Laxman and Babita Rout with their son Avinash in happier times (File Pic Courtesy: ibnlive.com)
Laxman and Babita Rout with their son Avinash in happier times (File Pic Courtesy: ibnlive.com)

Patnaik called up Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal and demanded stringent action against erring hospitals which reportedly refused to admit the 7-year-old boy delaying his treatment, which led to his death.

The parents of the minor boy – Laxman Chandra Rout (35) and Babita Rout (30)– committed suicide by jumping from a four-storey building in Lado Sarai in South Delhi on September 9, a day after their only son Avinash died.

The Odisha chief minister announced an ex-gratia of Rs.3 lakh from the Chief Minister’s Relief Fund (CMRF) for the bereaved family of the deceased hailing from Jaguleipada village in Derabish block of Kendrapara district.

Patnaik also directed the Kendrapara collector to cover the family of late Laxman Chandra Rout under various social security schemes.

In New Delhi, Resident Commissioner S Bhargav, under fire for his no-show in the whole affair, today said it was too late to do anything by the time he came to know about it.

“It is a shocking news. We came to know about only from the media. By that time, it was all over and there was little we could have done. We are in touch with the Delhi government, which has already served notices to the five concerned hospitals and is planning stringent action aginst them.

Meanwhile, Delhi Health Minister Satyendra Jain today ordered a magistrate level probe into the three deaths. The Union health ministry also ordered an inquiry into the case.

Taking a strong view of the case, the Delhi government is contemplating convening a special session of the Assembly to pass a law that would provide for stringent punishment, including cancellation of licence, for any private hospital that refuses to admit a critically ill patient.

Though the Delhi government had issued a circular to this effect, it does not seem to have had much of an effect as proved by the case of the Odisha boy, who was refused admission by as many as five hospitals.

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