Kerala girl dies after snake bites her in class
Teacher, doctor suspended after incident sparks outrage
22/11/2019, E.M. MANOJ,KALPETTA
Teacher, doctor suspended after incident sparks outrage
22/11/2019, E.M. MANOJ,KALPETTA
Fatal hole: Shehala Sherin, inset, was bitten by a snake after her leg was caught in a crack in the classroom floor.
The death of a 10-year-old girl after she was reportedly bitten by a snake in her classroom on Wednesday, sparked a wave of outrage and protests across Kerala on Thursday following allegations of negligence against the school authorities and the doctors who treated the child at four different hospitals. A teacher at the Government Sarvajana High School, Sulthan Bathery, and a doctor at the Bathery taluk hospital were suspended after a preliminary inquiry ordered by the government found them guilty of delaying treatment to the child, Shehala Sherin.
Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan also condoled the death of Sherin. Mr. Vijayan said in his Facebook post that the government had taken the tragic incident very seriously and stringent action would be taken against those responsible for it.
Sherin was injured after her leg was caught in a crack in the classroom floor around 3.15 p.m. on Wednesday. According to the child’s parents and classmates, the teachers at the school refused to take her to the hospital immediately after red spots were noticed.
Some students suspected the possibility of a snakebite but a teacher insisted that the red spots may be due to a nail or the sharp edges of the hole on the floor.
“The teacher refused to take her to a doctor,” one of the students said. Moreover, he discouraged another teacher who was ready to take the girl to hospital.
“If she had been taken to a hospital at the right time the life of my friend could have been saved,” the student said.
The students also complained that the school authorities did not allow them to use sandals or shoes inside classrooms.
There were many cracks on the floor of the old school building and snakes were a common sight on the premises, she added.
However, the school authorities said they had administered first aid to the child after the incident and informed her father. Abdul Azeez, an advocate, said he would come to the school and take the child to the hospital. He reached the school around 3.45 p.m. and took her to a private hospital and later to the taluk hospital at Sulthan Bathery.
After the child was under medical supervision for around an hour at the taluk hospital, she was referred to the Medical College Hospital in Kozhikode. Her condition worsened on the way and she was admitted to the government hospital at Vythiri. Later she was shifted to a private hospital, where doctors declared her dead on arrival. Though the girl was taken to four different hospitals, none of them administered anti-venom, her parents alleged.
Wayanad Collector Adeela Abdulla said legal action would be taken against the culprits.
The death of a 10-year-old girl after she was reportedly bitten by a snake in her classroom on Wednesday, sparked a wave of outrage and protests across Kerala on Thursday following allegations of negligence against the school authorities and the doctors who treated the child at four different hospitals. A teacher at the Government Sarvajana High School, Sulthan Bathery, and a doctor at the Bathery taluk hospital were suspended after a preliminary inquiry ordered by the government found them guilty of delaying treatment to the child, Shehala Sherin.
Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan also condoled the death of Sherin. Mr. Vijayan said in his Facebook post that the government had taken the tragic incident very seriously and stringent action would be taken against those responsible for it.
Sherin was injured after her leg was caught in a crack in the classroom floor around 3.15 p.m. on Wednesday. According to the child’s parents and classmates, the teachers at the school refused to take her to the hospital immediately after red spots were noticed.
Some students suspected the possibility of a snakebite but a teacher insisted that the red spots may be due to a nail or the sharp edges of the hole on the floor.
“The teacher refused to take her to a doctor,” one of the students said. Moreover, he discouraged another teacher who was ready to take the girl to hospital.
“If she had been taken to a hospital at the right time the life of my friend could have been saved,” the student said.
The students also complained that the school authorities did not allow them to use sandals or shoes inside classrooms.
There were many cracks on the floor of the old school building and snakes were a common sight on the premises, she added.
However, the school authorities said they had administered first aid to the child after the incident and informed her father. Abdul Azeez, an advocate, said he would come to the school and take the child to the hospital. He reached the school around 3.45 p.m. and took her to a private hospital and later to the taluk hospital at Sulthan Bathery.
After the child was under medical supervision for around an hour at the taluk hospital, she was referred to the Medical College Hospital in Kozhikode. Her condition worsened on the way and she was admitted to the government hospital at Vythiri. Later she was shifted to a private hospital, where doctors declared her dead on arrival. Though the girl was taken to four different hospitals, none of them administered anti-venom, her parents alleged.
Wayanad Collector Adeela Abdulla said legal action would be taken against the culprits.
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