The recent Uttarakhand High Court’s (HC) decision directing the civic authorities to provide monitory compensation to the victims of animal bite cases has prompted many people, who were bitten by animals in past, to visit the Doon hospital here and demand some sort of certificate so that they can claim the compensation from municipal corporation.
The court has directed the civic bodies to pay a compensation of Rs 2 lakh to the animal bite victims. The Doon hospital caters most of the animal bite cases in the district as vaccination facility is available here. The Chief Pharmacist of Doon hospital K C Kukreti told The Pioneer that many people are inquiring about the procedure of compensation. He said that even the patients who were vaccinated last year are also inquiring about the compensation and demand certificate that they had undergone treatment for animal bite. Kukreti said that the hospital staff is not in a position to help such people in absence of clear guidelines.
Dog bite cases constitute almost 90 percent of total animal bite cases reported in the Doon hospital. A total of 852 animal bite cases were treated in hospital in the month of March this year out of which 769 cases were of dog bite cases. The data suggests that 28 cases of cat bite, 16 cases of monkey bite and 14 cases of rat bite were treated last month. Interestingly cases of bites from animals like squirrel, donkey, bear, pig and porcupine are also reported though in minuscule numbers. The hospital provides free anti rabies vaccinations to the animal bite cases. Kukerti informed that 8382 vials of anti rabies vaccine were used last year in the hospital.
The medical experts are of the view that instead of monetary compensation the HC should have directed the civic authorities for controlling the menace of stray dogs and providing facility of vaccination in all the Community Health Centres (CHC), of the state so that poor people are spared the ordeal of travelling to places like Doon hospital for vaccination.