Mumbai: Hospital tells parents to go buy dog bite shot from outside

Shreyans Gupta, 5, the dog bite victim

A family in Goregaon West had to carry their injured five-year-old child from one hospital to another for preventive rabies shots soon after a dog attacked him on Friday. They eventually took him to the BMC-run R N Cooper Hospital, but according to the boy's mother, they were told to buy the vaccine from a private medical shop.

Dean says no shortage

While the hospital dean, Dr Shailesh Mohite, has denied any vaccine shortage, the medical superintendent Dr Sachin Sonawne said there was unavailability for a day last week, but it was soon rectified. "We had placed the order a week prior and had 10 vials on Tuesday which were exhausted in two days. It remained unavailable on Friday but it was restocked the next day," Sonawne said.

Shreyans Gupta, the injured child, has a cut on his face and multiple cuts on his hand, along with injuries on his head. "We first rushed to Suvidha Hospital because it was the closest, but they said they cannot treat a dog bite patient. From there, we rushed to Topiwala Maternity Hospital and they asked us to visit Cooper," said Sangeeta Gupta, his mother.

Gupta, a resident of Motilal Nagar, added that her son was bitten by a pet of one of the residents in their chawl and she wanted the anti-rabies injection for her son as a precaution. "We rushed to Cooper in heavy rains, but they told us they did not have the anti-rabies injection. A prescription was provided to us, and accordingly, we purchased it from a private medical shop, and then it was administered at Cooper."

She said she wanted to admit the child to Cooper for further treatment; however, the doctors at the hospital were of the opinion that there was no need for admission. "We then took him to our family doctor, who said there was a requirement for further treatment as the cuts were deep. We admitted him to CT Hospital in Goregaon," Gupta said. The child continues to be hospitalised.

On average, the city experiences 60,000 dog bite cases every year. Earlier this year, the BMC initiated its stray dog survey after ten years. Based on the survey's conclusion, the corporation was planning to undertake a comprehensive birth control programme. "The report is awaited; there are certain revisions to be made. We don't know how long it will take," said Dr. Kalimpasha Pathan, general manager of the Veterinary Department and Deonar Abattoir.