An Indian man who died in a state-run hospital is alleged to have had his penis chewed off by rats, Asian Age newspaper reports.
Arun Sandhukha, 53, had been a pneumonia patient at SSKM Hospital in Kolkata (formerly Calcutta) since December 11. According to the newspaper, his family members arrived at the hospital for a visit and found him in a pool of blood, with no medical staff in sight.
"No nurse was found at the scene and he was writhing in pain. His penis had been nibbled by rats," a victim's relative identified as Bishwanath said. The relative said that hospital staff "admitted the presence of rats in the hospital."
Later in the day, Sandhukha was pronounced dead. (Asian Age published its story on December 24, but it is not clear on what day the incident occurred.)
The horrific story is only the latest in a string of medical mishaps to capture the Indian public's attention. On December 23, a government doctor was found to be practicing medicine while inebriated, reports The Statesman.
In a more serious case, a drunk medical worker "was reported to have pulled off the oxygen mask of a three-week old baby that led to her death," reports the Malaysian National News Agency Bernama.
And in a tragedy that made international headlines, 89 people were killed when a fire swept through a Kolkata hospital on December 9. Medical staff abandoned patients as the blaze spread, and six administrators were charged with culpable homicide.