March of the antsFollow

Ants eat away patient’s eye in Indian hospital
Nurses ignored cries of pain, saying it was normal after operation

Updated: 10:37 a.m. ET Nov. 15, 2005

KOLKATA, India - A woman receiving treatment for diabetes at a state-run hospital in eastern India lost one of her eyes after ants nibbled away at it, officials said on Tuesday.

The patient recovering from a post-surgery infection shrieked for help as the ants attacked her on Sunday night, but nurses told her it was normal to feel pain from the infection.

On Monday, the patient’s family saw a gaping hole with swarming ants in it when they lifted the bandage on her left eye.


Authorities of the Sambhunath Hospital in Kolkata said they were probing the incident.

“It’s not uncommon for ants to attack diabetic patients. We have set up a committee to investigate the unfortunate incident,” hospital superintendent A. Adhikary said.

Scampering rats and stray cats and dogs sharing bed space with patients are not uncommon sights at India’s overcrowded state-run hospitals that are used by millions of poor and middle-class people.


Edited, Mon Nov 21 11:39:03 2005 by Darkflame