Chandigarh: An uninvited guest — a venomous krait — slithered into the heart of the Govt Medical College and Hospital (GMCH) in Sector 32. The krait was spotted at the entrance of the intensive care unit (ICU) on Saturday late night — a unit ironically equipped to handle the very victims of snake bites. The dramatic event sent ripples of alarm through the hospital, though things were managed on time.“It was managed on time as the snake was spotted outside the ICU entrance,” said Dr Manpreet, ICU in-charge. He said, “It perhaps entered through the drainage pipe and therefore we will soon place a mesh there.”An eyewitness recounted the moment: “The guard used a wiper and stick to wrap the snake around to dispose of it.” Hospital staff, already accustomed to the quiet hum of life-support machines, suddenly faced a different and unusual threat. In a late-night decision, staff chose to rely on internal security over an external rescue service, fearing that a time delay could allow the reptile to slither into the very ward that treats snakebite victims. “The first reaction was to call the security staff instead of any helpline for such reptiles as there was hardly anyone aware of the number. Also, by the time help would have arrived, the snake would have crept inside the ICU,” said a staff member.Sources within GMCH revealed that snake sightings are a common occurrence during the monsoon and after spells of rain, particularly in the GMCH-32 hostel area and doctors’ residence zones. These reptiles have also been observed crawling near the Sector 48-GMCH extension hospital. “I called 112 and they came to rescue us,” said a GMCH staff member.The daring capture of the krait has brought to light a critical concern for the hospital’s frontline security staff. A security guard, speaking on condition of anonymity, said, “There is no medical coverage for the security personnel who are on contract. If there had been some mishap during the catching of the snake, who would have helped the guard?” MSID:: 122818917 413 |
