In yet another instance of “avoidable death”, Bhagiman Gurung, 40, of sector C-1 hut no 49 of Khudunabari camp died Thursday morning at 7:30 a.m.
Gurung, who first reported of regurgitation of blood through the mouth yesterday, was returned from the camp health center stating he featured symptoms of tuberculosis and needed blood test the next day.
According to Camp Secretary, Bhanu Dhungana, Gurung became more serious after he returned from his check-up, but didn’t report back to the heath center as his medical attendant had suspected tuberculosis.
When he was taken to heath centre this morning at 5 a.m., AMDA’s camp staff, Jafat Singh Rai, refused to call emergency vehicle. He instead asked Gurung to wait for 8 a.m, by which a routined vehicle of AMDA Nepal would arrive at the camp.
However, critically serious Gurung breathed his last half an hour before the vehicle carrying staff reached the camp.
Following Gurung’s death, several dissatisfied refugees and relatives of the deceased demonstrated against AMDA’s negligence and the health center remained tensed for some hours before the Camp Management Committee and camp based Armed Police Force intervened to bring the situation under control, our correspondent said.
Dr. Madhurima Bhadra, the Project Manager of the Primary Heath Care for Bhutanese Refugees (PHC-BR) of AMDA Nepal, expressed her deep sympathy over Gurung’s death in camp.
“I need to study the report of my team before making any comment,” Dr. Bhadra, who is in her leave from the office, told Bhutan News Service from Pokhara, “I have asked to make the report available to me as soon as possible.”
She said AMDA would probe into the case thoroughly and punish those employees if the investigation proves their fault in the course of treatment.
Meanwhile, Dr. Bhampa Rai commented that such a death would have been avoided if prompt referral was made.
“Even gastric patients show such systems and can die shortly,” Dr. Rai said,” I can speak about the gravity of carelessness, if any, only after I make a detailed study of the case.”
(With inputs from our correspondent Tilak Niraula)
