14-yr-old girl dies, over 100 taken ill as diarrhoea grips Fatehabad’s Ratia
HISAR: A 14-year-old girl died on Monday while over 100 people reportedly fell sick due to diarrhoea outbreak, allegedly due to the consumption of contaminated water, in Nangal village of Ratia town of Fatehabad.
The deceased has been identified as a student of Class 8, Sapna Rani, daughter of Balkar Singh.
She was on Sunday rushed to the Ratia civil hospital after she complained of vomiting and dysentery.
Talking to the mediapersons, Dr Sheenu Gupta at Ratia civil hospital said the condition of the girl was stable at civil hospital, but her family members took her to some private hospital, where she died during the treatment.
Fatehabad chief medical officer (CMO) Dr Manish Bansal said, “As many as 70 patients have visited the Ratia civil hospital with complaints of vomiting and dysentery. We have started their treatment and formed a team of doctors, nurses and other staff, who have been visiting the village and treating other patients.”
“A 14-year-old girl had come to the Ratia civil hospital in a poor health condition. The doctors on duty began her treatment and her condition was stable. But her family on Monday took her to a private hospital after she started feeling restless. The girl died at that private medical facility,” Bansal added.
However, former sarpanch of the village, Chinderpal Majoka, alleged, “This all started on Saturday when people started complaining of vomiting and dysentery. The drinking water being supplied to the village by the public health department is highly contaminated due to leakages in the pipes near the village bus stand.” He claimed that villagers had in past informed the local administration about this grave issue as well. “Our village shares its boundaries with Punjab’s Mansa district and several families have shifted their sick members to different hospitals in Punjab, while some of them are undergoing treatment in Ratia town,” he added.
Meanwhile, sub-divisional magistrate Devilal Sihag said, “We have taken cognisance of the diarrhoea outbreak and formed teams of public health department officials, who have been asked to check the condition of the drinking water and leakages in the pipelines, if any.”
“The administration has also spoken to the Fatehabad chief medical officer and asked him to start treatment at the earliest. The department will inquire further into the matter and action will be taken if anyone is found guilty.”
We have taken cognisance of the diarrhoea outbreak and formed teams of public health department officials to check the condition of the drinking water and leakages in the pipelines.
DEVILAL SIHAG, SDM