Man dies in Jharkhand after being treated by quack

Chatra: A 40-year-old man suffering from fever died on Monday night after being allegedly treated by a ‘quack’ who ran a small clinic at Dantar in Chatra district. Police on Tuesday lodged a case against accused Shiv Shankar Sharma alias Thakurji, who is at large, and sealed his clinic.According to reports, Vinod Singh, a resident of Majhgaon under Vashisht Nagar police station limits, visited Sharma’s clinic on Monday with fever.Sharma administered him a few injections but soon Singh’s condition worsened and he fell unconscious. Singh’s family claimed Sharma asked them to take him to Gaya for better treatment but he died soon after. Singh’s family accused Sharma of wrong treatment leading to his death, prompting police to take action. Subsequently, Sharma shut his clinic and went on the run.Rakesh Kumar Singh, the deceased’s brother-in-law, said, “Vinod collapsed immediately after the injections were administered. Instead of providing proper treatment, the accused tried to mislead us.”Grieving family members demanded stringent action against the accused. Locals said the area has long been a hub of illegal clinics and unqualified medical practitioners. They alleged that despite repeated complaints, no effective administrative action has been taken so far.Vashisht Nagar police station OC Amit Kumar Singh said, “The clinic has been sealed and raids are underway to arrest the accused. Further investigation is in progress.”Chatra civil surgeon Dr Jagdish Prasad told TOI that they sealed the clinic on the order of deputy commissioner Keertishree G. “We are taking regular action against quacks. But a large number of fake doctors are active and it is difficult to track and act against them all unless complaints are lodged. I urge people not to visit quacks for treatment and to inform the authorities if they come across such clinics,” he said.On March 17, a young woman allegedly died of excessive bleeding and shock after a botched tooth extraction procedure by a quack in Palamu district.