Cobra in the hospital! Snakebite victim's family brings live venomous snake that bit him; sparks panic and fear
In a shocking and dangerous incident, panic erupted at the district hospital in Betul, Madhya Pradesh, when the family of a snakebite victim arrived with the live cobra that had bitten him, carried in a sack.
Driven by superstition, the act stunned doctors and terrified patients, prompting immediate emergency measures. The family believed bringing the snake would aid treatment, reflecting a lack of awareness about proper medical response to snakebites. The situation was controlled when a snake catcher safely removed the reptile.
Snakebite victim's family brings live cobra to Madhya Pradesh hospital
The sequence of events had begun in Kolgaon, a rural village in the Madhya Pradesh state, when Sukhram, a man, was bitten by a cobra when engaged in his usual activities.
Instead of taking him to a hospital in an immediate rush, his relatives first went to consult a quack who resided in the village, still a common pattern in rural India where villagers visit traditional practitioners more than doctors.
When Sukhram's condition worsened, the family agreed for the first time to call an ambulance. But little did the ambulance crew and subsequently the hospital staff know that they had brought with them an unwanted passenger hidden in a bag.
by Taboola
by Taboola
Sponsored Links
Sponsored Links
Promoted Links
Promoted Links
You May Like
Trading CFD dengan Teknologi dan Kecepatan Lebih Baik
IC Markets
Mendaftar
Undo
Totally unaware that a live venomous snake was being brought with them in the vehicle, the ambulance team ferried Sukhram and the sack to the district hospital. When they arrived at the hospital, the family nonchalantly told the staff that the cobra was in the sack, their strategy having been to present the doctors with the species that had bitten their relation.
This revelation sent a shockwave through the hospital.
Live snake in hospital triggers mass panic and evacuation
As soon as the word spread among doctors and patients that there was a live cobra in the campus, panic gripped everyone. Patients from adjacent beds ran out of the ward in terror, and hospital authorities had a hard time restoring order. An urgent call was made to a snake catcher, who caught the cobra successfully and released it into the jungle.
Hospital staff reprimanded the family for their irresponsible actions, claiming that bringing a venomous snake into a hospital puts hundreds' lives at risk.
The rationale of the family was short but appalling, they believed showing the snake to the doctors would help in better diagnosis and treatment. This is a reflection of an underlying issue prevalent in most rural Indian societies: superstition regarding snakebites.
In some local traditions, it is claimed that a mystic or tantric can extract venom from the body of the victim if the snake has also been caught. Such beliefs, though dangerous and scientific, still control life-and-death circumstances.
Doctors warn against delays and risks caused by bringing
live snakes
The doctors at the hospital were concerned about the potential consequences of doing that. Not only is there a large likelihood that the cobra will escape and bite other individuals, but such procedures also cut into the time spent using the right antivenom and treatment. They highlighted the fact that species identification is not required for treatment in most cases as polyvalent antivenoms used in Indian hospitals protect the largest number of species of venomous snakes in India.
Also Read | This common village plant leaves can neutralise snake venom in just 5 minutes; here's how
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Time of India
2 hours ago
- Time of India
Bombay high court orders full reimbursement for central govt pensioner denied heart transplant expenses incurred at private hospital
Mumbai: In what it said was a peculiar case of a dispute arising over a reimbursement claim by a central govt employee for a "heart transplant" conducted at a private hospital, the Bombay high court on Friday held that the affected man, a pensioner, was entitled to decide on a private hospital for the procedure in the absence of timely availability of such facilities in all the empanelled hospitals under the govt health scheme for employees. The high court said he was entitled to full reimbursement of his "undisputed expenditure". It said that to make the man suffer for the refund was a glaring travesty of justice and violation of his fundamental rights. Anirudh Nansi, who took voluntary retirement in March 2008 as a central govt employee, is a Mumbai resident and petitioned the high court in 2022 over his December 2020 transplant. He was an assistant commissioner in the Central Excise and Customs, Pune. The high court held that the money is to be paid in four weeks to the former employee. It held that the rejection by the Centre was "not only violative of the fundamental rights but strikes at the very root, purpose, and essence of these basic human rights as guaranteed by the constitutional guarantee of right to life under Article 21". A division bench of Justice Girish Kulkarni and Jistice Advait Sethna, tn the judgement pronouncement, held that the central govt was under an obligatory position to grant reimbursement on a case-by-case basis, with no straitjacket formula to fix reimbursement rates. by Taboola by Taboola Sponsored Links Sponsored Links Promoted Links Promoted Links You May Like Esta nueva alarma con cámara es casi regalada en Castelar (ver precio) Verisure Undo The judges said a heart transplant was "certainly serious and emergent", hence, the former employee's case deserved to be treated with humane sensitivity and not mechanically in a "narrow pedantic" view. Any employee, merely because he retired, ought not to be differently treated when it comes to genuine and realistic need, held the high court. A high-powered committee (HPC) denying the pensioner full reimbursement on the grounds that the central scheme permitted rates are required to be followed, "is not the correct and a legal stand of the (Centre)", the high court noted. It said it also disagreed with the HPC's reasoning to deny a full refund even under the Centre's relaxation of guidelines for special emergent cases, stating that "heart transplantation was a planned surgery and not an emergency". The high court said that under the Centre's relaxation rules, it failed to understand how a heart transplant is not considered "extraordinary", emergent and inevitable surgery, "as a heart transplant is required only when the heart is failing, the consequences of which are just to be imagined". Even if there were no relaxation guidelines, in deserving cases, the HPC should exercise its discretion to award full medical reimbursement, held the high court. Through senior advocate Prakash Shah and advocate Anil Balani, Nansi sought reimbursement, saying he was being denied it. He sought reimbursement of Rs 22 lakh with 9% yearly interest. His claim was denied in April 2022 by the Centre. The petitioner was suffering from cardiomyopathy since 2009. In Oct 2019, his condition deteriorated, and he was advised to have a transplant. He said a private empanelled super-specialty hospital in Mumbai at the time was not performing heart transplants, hence he got his done at another one in Mumbai on Dec 29, 2020. He cited his then "grave and critical nature… and the lack of any CGHS empanelled hospitals having necessary licence, approvals, and expertise… . " Before his surgery, he got an endorsement from the Centre noting that reimbursement at a non-empanelled hospital could only be given at CGHS rates and the difference would have to be borne by the petitioner. "This medical condition is certainly not a routine affair for the hospitals, much less for the central govt hospitals or those under the Central Government Health Scheme," observed the high court after hearing the Centre's lawyers Y R Sharma and Jain. The issue before the high court was whether, in his pressing situation, he could be denied full reimbursement of the medical expenses incurred by him for such major treatment merely because he opted for a private hospital. The question was also whether the rigours of the normal rule of medical reimbursement should make way for the case to be considered specially, the high court said, particularly as a heart transplant surgery is not a walk-in category of surgery. While in many cases reimbursements may not involve any dispute on the amount, it cannot mean that in very peculiar, serious, specialised cases of medical treatment, the reimbursement needs to be only as per the rates which are pre-determined, the high court observed, as it would then "be most unrealistic, unfair, and discriminatory as in the present situation". The high court added that even if it was a planned surgery, Nansi's claim for a full refund could not have been rejected, "or merely because the rates being notified, the petitioner ought not to be granted any reimbursement". The high court said: "It cannot be that the rules governing reimbursement are sacrosanct and nothing outside the rules in exceptional/special cases and especially deserving cases can be considered for reimbursement by the central govt. It would not require elaboration that in such matters, it is an accepted position that there is a free play in the joints and such category of cases are required to be considered on their merits. "Certainly, the heart transplant surgery is one of urgency and critical importance, and could not have been postponed. It is a special circumstance. It is imperative that such surgeries are expedited in the interest of human life without an embargo of an expenditure which is secondary to human life." Get the latest lifestyle updates on Times of India, along with Eid wishes , messages , and quotes !
Time of India
2 hours ago
- Time of India
Ludhiana records second Covid death as cases rise to 18
Ludhiana: Around 10 days after a local resident died of Covid in Chandigarh, an elderly woman became the second patient to die of Covid at a Chandigarh hospital. With this, the the number of Covid cases reported in the city this year has risen to 18 and the number of deaths has risen to two. Civil surgeon Dr Ramandeep Kaur confirmed the second Covid death and said that there are 13 active cases in the district. As per the health department, new cases reported on Friday include a 22-year-old man and a 52-year-old woman. Health officials said that the woman who died of Covid in a Chandigarh hospital was a 69-year-old resident of Koom Kalan area. The woman, who had been struggling with obesity, had intermittent fever for about five months. She had been undergoing treatment in PGI for the past month. A health department official said that after her condition deteriorated, she was referred to PGI, Chandigarh and then to Sector 16 government hospital in Chandigarh before being shifted back to PGI, where she passed away on June 4. The official added that four of the woman's contacts were tested for Covid but only her grandson tested positive. He is asymptomatic. by Taboola by Taboola Sponsored Links Sponsored Links Promoted Links Promoted Links You May Like 5 Books Warren Buffett Wants You to Read In 2025 Blinkist: Warren Buffett's Reading List Undo According to health officials, of the 18 persons who tested positive for Covid, quarantine period of three has ended. Around 13 patients are in home quarantine. Those whose home quarantine has ended include the 19-year-old girl and her 11-year-old brother from Basti Jodhewal area, whose father died of Covid on May 28. Sources in the health department said that of the 18 patients who tested positive for Covid, 13 are from Ludhiana city, three from Koom Kalan area and one each from Sudhar and Khanna. Addressing the gathering at a function in Ludhiana on Friday, health minister Dr Balbir Singh said that there was no cause for concern. He maintained that the situation was completely normal and Punjab was fully equipped to tackle any situation. However, he advised immunocompromised individuals such as pregnant women, the elderly, and those with conditions like kidney disease, high blood pressure, cancer, or respiratory issues to wear masks outdoors. He also underscored the importance of vigilance while affirming the state's preparedness to handle any health challenges. Talking to TOI, the minister said that they have adequate beds for Covid patients in Ludhiana. He suggested that the cases are of the Omicron variant. The health department advisory suggests that people continue using masks in crowded areas. "If you feel any flu-like symptoms, wear a mask and consult the nearest health centre, it says. Covid factfile Total cases in 2025: 18 Active cases: 13 Deaths: 2 Recent Death: A 69-year-old woman from Koom Kalan with obesity and prolonged fever. Treated at PGI and Sector 16 Hospital in Chandigarh. Passed away on June 4. New Cases (June 6): A 22-year-old man A 52-year-old woman MSID:: 121677361 413 | Get the latest lifestyle updates on Times of India, along with Eid wishes , messages , and quotes !
Time of India
3 hours ago
- Time of India
Rims doubles cottage charges, hikes paying ward fee for patients to earn more revenue
1 2 3 Ranchi: Patients seeking admission at Rajendra Institute of Medical Sciences (Rims) will now have to pay more to access cottage and paying ward facilities. The hospital administration has revised its fee structure, doubling the daily charge for cottages from Rs 250 to Rs 500, while the rent for the paying ward increased from Rs 1,000 to Rs 1,500 per day. The hike, which came into effect a few days ago, has drawn mixed reactions from the public and patient families. The Rims management on Friday justified the revision stating that the previous rates remained unchanged for many years. "The move will help the hospital to earn more money, which can then be pumped into infrastructure and development," an official said. The paying ward is in relatively better condition, with functional infrastructure and cleanliness maintained to some extent. There are 16 cottages in total at Rims. Currently, seven rooms on the first floor are being used as emergency wards, while the ground floor cottages are being allotted as paid accommodation. Seven beds are equipped with oxygen supplies. The paying ward has a capacity of 100 beds. To ease pressure on overcrowded emergency and critical care units, Rims has shifted stable, recovering patients to underutilised cottage and paying wards. by Taboola by Taboola Sponsored Links Sponsored Links Promoted Links Promoted Links You May Like 5 Books Warren Buffett Wants You to Read In 2025 Blinkist: Warren Buffett's Reading List Undo The move aims to free up emergency beds for critically ill patients. Patients transferred to the cottage and paying wards under this system are not being charged for their stay. Only patients who voluntarily opted for treatment in the cottage or paying wards are required to pay the respective charges of Rs 500 and Rs 1,500 per day. Those shifted as part of the hospital's internal allocation are exempt from any fees. Emergency and critical care wards together have around 130 beds. Rims public relations officer Dr Rajeev Ranjan said, "The shift was intended to streamline patient management and reduce wait times in emergency situations. By separating recovery-phase patients, the hospital aimed to enhance the overall quality of care." Get the latest lifestyle updates on Times of India, along with Eid wishes , messages , and quotes !
