Comatose patient, allegedly bitten by rat, passes away

A 27-year-old comatose patient at a civic hospital here, who was allegedly bitten by a rat while in ICU last month, died yesterday, hospital sources said.

Parminder Gupta was hospitalised after he met with a road accident last year.

After intitial treatment at a hospital in Thane, his parents admitted him to the civic-run Bal Thackeray Trauma Care Hospital in Jogeshwari.

A hospital official said that he slipped into coma while undergoing a brain surgery.

His family had alleged that a rat nibbled Parminder's eyelid on April 23 while he was in the ICU, but the hospital administration denied this charge.

However, an inquiry has been ordered, said the hospital official.

The official also claimed that doctors had advised his family to take him to Cooper Hospital for further treatment, but they refused.

"Doctors at our hospital did their best to save the life of the patient but could not save him," the official said.