Vikash Sharma

Balasore: The doctors and other medical staff of Balasore district headquarters hospital were taken aback after a man reportedly brought an injured Indian cobra for treatment to the hospital instead of taking the reptile to a veterinary hospital.

Though the medical staff was lauded for treating the reptile, the incident has not gone down well with other doctors and wildlife experts.

As per reports, one Manoj Das had rescued the snake which got injured after getting entangled in a net on Monday.  Das claims that he first took the reptile to a veterinary hospital and as it was closed, he took the snake to the district headquarters hospital.

The snake rescuer, on the other hand, stated that “I went to the hospital and managed to get an outpatient department ticket. When the official at the reception asked me the patient’s name, I told it was Sapa (Odia name for snake) and its age was about six to eight years.”

Das further stated that the doctor was shocked after he found out that the patient was a snake.

“The man brought the snake at around 5 AM. Initially, we could not understand who the patient was. But when we saw that the patient was a snake, we were shocked and surprised as we haven’t seen anyone coming to the hospital with a snake for treatment,” said the doctor on duty.

The snake rescuer further clarified that the authorities should take necessary steps so that emergency services should be available at veterinary hospitals for animals.

“This is an unfortunate incident and could be the first instance in the world where a human doctor attended an animal and that too a deadly cobra. This act should not only be condemned but action should also be taken against the snake catcher,” said Subhendu Mallick, Wildlife Warden of Khurda.

Mallick, who himself is the general secretary of Snake Helpline, further stated that “The person who cannot differentiate between a human and a snake can never be a snake lover.”

“The doctor at the hospital is in fact a victim and was pressurized to treat the snake. It’s common sense to take the snake to a veterinary hospital. These things are well planned with hidden agendas. The registered medical practitioner had referred to a veterinary hospital and if there is no veterinary hospital, he should not be forced to treat animals,” said Dr Sudipta Ranjan Singh, Associate Professor (Forensic Medicine and Toxicology), AIIMS Bhubaneswar.

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