Ulhasnagar Hospital Staff Handled Child Snake Bite Carelessly, Civil Surgeon Tells SHRC

The Civil Surgeon of Central Hospital in Ulhasnagar has informed the State Human Rights Commission (SHRC) that hospital staff carelessly handled the case of a three-year-old child from Ambernath who died following a snake bite.

Dr Manohar Bansode, the Civil Surgeon at Central Hospital, submitted a preliminary fact-finding report to the commission confirming lapses during the boy's treatment. According to the inquiry, Dr Asia Shaikh and staff nurse Sangita Munde handled the case carelessly. Additionally, the internships of three medical interns present at the scene were extended by one month.

Dr Bansode stated that his findings have been forwarded to the Deputy Director of Health Services, Mumbai Circle, Thane, and that departmental action from the authority remains awaited. Following this submission, the SHRC directed the Deputy Director of Health Services to appear before it and submit a formal action-taken report at the next hearing scheduled for October 26.

The incident took place in June 2026 after three-year-old Sultan Shaikh was bitten by a venomous snake on his waist while playing inside his residence in the Shiv Mandir-Kailas Colony area of Ambernath. When the child began crying uncontrollably, his family spotted the snake and rushed him to the nearby government-run Central Hospital in Ulhasnagar for emergency medical care.

The family alleged that doctors at Central Hospital delayed critical intervention by insisting on seeing a photograph of the snake before administering treatment. Family members stated that they struggled to explain the situation while valuable time was lost.

According to the family, the delay in administering anti-snake venom and emergency medical care led to a rapid deterioration in the child's condition, resulting in his death. The SHRC initiated suo motu cognisance of the matter based on news reports concerning the alleged denial of immediate medical treatment.