• Mou Mou
• 15 Jan, 2025

A 38 year old food delivery man whose name is Avinash Majhi faced a nightmarish ordeal after a truck ran over his leg in Kolkata’s Barrackpore area. Despite severe injuries he had to wait over 11 hours moving from one hospital to another as no bed was available for his treatment.

Tragic Accident During Duty

On Tuesday night around 10:15 PM Avinash who is a resident of Shyamnagar, North 24 Parganas, he was delivering food when a truck ran over his leg near the Lal Kuthi area in Barrackpore. His family immediately rushed him to BN Bose Sub Divisional Hospital but they were denied for admission.

A Desperate Search for Help

Avinash’s family then visited two private hospitals but the high cost of treatment forced them to seek help elsewhere. They were referred to R.G. Kar Medical College where doctors suggested that his leg might have to be amputated. Alarmed by this they moved him to another private hospital.

Finally at 3:30 AM Avinash was taken to SSKM Hospital a government facility where initial treatment was provided. However due to a lack of beds he had to remain on a stretcher until he was admitted to the trauma care center at 9:30 AM the next day.

Larger Healthcare Issues in Focus

This incident highlights the ongoing healthcare challenges in West Bengal. Despite the introduction of a centralized referral system and a digital bed vacancy monitoring initiative patients continue to face hardships.

- The centralised referral system was introduced as a pilot project in South 24 Parganas on October 15th.

- On November 1st, it was extended to SSKM and four other medical colleges.

Yet multiple incidents of patients being denied beds have surfaced including the case of a child from Bankura and another accident victim who faced similar struggles.

Read More: On This Army Day Of 2025....! Celebrating Strength With Advanced Defence Tech And Tribute To The Heroes.

Unanswered Questions

The plight of Avinash and others raises serious questions about the effectiveness of these systems. Despite repeated assurances patients and their families continue to endure distressing experiences especially in emergency situations.