Snake bites father and son in Savner, faith healing delay before hospital discharge
A father and son bitten by a snake in Savner were taken to a faith healer before hospital treatment, and discharged after five days
An incident in the Savner area on the night of September 20 left two members of the same family fighting for their lives after being bitten by a venomous snake. At around 2 am, while everyone in the house was asleep, two snakes entered the home. One of them bit 17-year-old Tushar. He initially dismissed it as minor and went back to sleep, but the same snake later bit his father as well.
When the family suspected they had been bitten by some creature, they searched the house and found two snakes. Despite this, instead of going straight to a hospital, the family opted for faith healing. This decision proved costly, as around two to three hours were spent on the faith healing, during which Tushar's condition rapidly worsened.
Eventually, Tushar's uncle and people from the neighbourhood took the father and son to hospital. After initial treatment, Tushar's condition was found to be critical and he was referred to Aditya Hospital in Savner, where the two arrived at around 6 am.
On arrival, Tushar was in extremely critical condition and having difficulty breathing. Under the supervision of Dr Amit Baheti, who runs Aditya Hospital, the medical team began treatment immediately. According to doctors, a tube was inserted into Tushar's windpipe to provide artificial respiration, he was given CPR, and an anti-snake venom injection was administered to counter the effect of the venom. Given his condition, he was put on a ventilator, where he remained for about two days. Treatment gradually took effect and Tushar opened his eyes. His father was being treated on the adjacent bed at the same time.
After about five days of treatment, both father and son improved and were discharged from the hospital.
Dr Amit Baheti said a snakebite is a serious medical emergency and that delays in treatment can prove fatal. He appealed to people not to waste time on faith healing or any unproven method after a snakebite, and to take the patient straight to a hospital without delay.
Timely treatment ultimately saved the lives of the father and son. While returning home from the hospital, the family thanked Dr Amit Baheti, Dr Ankita Baheti, Dr Shrikant Bhonde, Dr Updesh Motghare and the entire medical team of Aditya Hospital.
