3 weeks ago
Bihar hospital gives fractured man cardboard support; video goes viral
A man in India hurt his leg very badly in a road accident.
Police took him to a government hospital to get help.
The hospital did not have plaster, which doctors usually use to support broken bones.
So the staff wrapped cardboard around his leg with bandages as a temporary support.
Someone filmed this and put the video online.
Lots of people watched it and felt sad and angry.
They said hospitals should have better supplies for hurt people.
Some doctors said cardboard can actually be a good emergency splint, just like special splints used by rescuers.
Hospital leaders said they would investigate what happened.
The man later went to a private hospital to get proper care.
A man with a fractured leg received only cardboard wrapped in bandages as support at a government hospital in Bihar, sparking criticism after a video went viral.
Patient Krishna Kumar was injured in a road accident near Harsain Bridge on 3 August when an auto-rickshaw reportedly hit his vehicle.
Police took Kumar to Manjhaul Sub-divisional Hospital, where staff used cardboard as temporary support before referring him to Sadar Hospital in Begusarai.
At Sadar Hospital he received an IV drip but was told a plaster cast would take a week, so he chose to visit a private hospital instead.
Begusarai Civil Surgeon Dr Ashok Kumar said the matter will be formally investigated, while hospital in-charge Abhinav Priyadarshi defended the temporary first-aid approach.
- Who
- Krishna Kumar, a road-accident victim, and the staff of Manjhaul Sub-divisional Hospital in Bihar
- What
- A man with a fractured leg received cardboard wrapped in bandages as temporary support; the viral video drew criticism and triggered an official investigation
- Where
- Manjhaul Sub-divisional Hospital and Sadar Hospital in Begusarai, Bihar
- When
- 3 August, when Kumar was injured; the video went viral shortly afterwards
- Why
- No orthopaedic doctor or dresser was available at the hospital, so staff used cardboard as temporary first-aid support
Critics of hospital care
Defenders of hospital response
Government healthcare quality
Critics of hospital care
Critics questioned the state of government healthcare facilities despite significant prior investment in infrastructure.
Defenders of hospital response
Hospital staff said cotton, bandages and temporary support are not medically incorrect and are commonly used as first aid.
Supply shortage
Critics of hospital care
The real scandal is a hospital with no plaster of Paris in stock, not the improvised splint itself.
Defenders of hospital response
Cardboard is a legitimate temporary splint that keeps a fracture supported, better than leaving it unsupported.
Accountability
Critics of hospital care
The specific case needed closer examination, with action to follow if any negligence is confirmed.
Defenders of hospital response
The formal investigation will determine facts; the in-charge said no orthopaedic doctor or dresser was available that day.
Key facts
- Patient
- Krishna Kumar
- Injury date
- 3 August
- Accident location
- Near Harsain Bridge, Begusarai district, Bihar
- First hospital
- Manjhaul Sub-divisional Hospital (cardboard support with bandages)
- Second hospital
- Sadar Hospital, Begusarai (IV drip; plaster would take a week)
- Hospital in-charge
- Abhinav Priyadarshi
- Official response
- Begusarai Civil Surgeon Dr Ashok Kumar ordered a formal investigation
- Outcome
- Kumar went to a private hospital for a plaster cast
Quotes
Abhinav Priyadarshi
Hospital in‑charge at Manjhaul Sub‑divisional Hospital
“We used to throw away cardboard… they applied cardboard instead of plaster—cheap too, light too.”
livemint.com
“cotton and bandages weren't medically-incorrect as support.”
livemint.com
Sources
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