Kolkata, Aug 5 (IANS): A mentally deranged patient who "went missing" from a West Bengal hospital was Tuesday rescued from inside an abandoned lift shaft of the hospital.
Suranjan Sarkar was found lying unconscious inside the Malda Medical College and Hospital lift shaft when fire services personnel rescued him.
He was admitted to the hospital more than a week ago after he consumed poison in a suicide attempt.
His family members have alleged negligence on the part of the hospital staff and claimed that he went missing Saturday.
However, authorities have rubbished the allegations, saying Sarkar is mentally deranged and intentionally jumped into the shaft.
"Sarkar suffers from suicidal tendency and was admitted here with poison in his stomach after his attempted suicide. He did not go missing, rather was duly discharged Saturday. The hospital staff today (Tuesday) discovered him lying in the abandoned shaft. It seems he intentionally jumped into it," hospital's medical superintendent-cum-vice principal M.A. Rashid told IANS.
But, Niranjan's father, Amal has alleged negligence on the part of the hospital.
"We have no information about his discharge from the hospital. In fact, we have been looking for him since Saturday and were even contemplating filing a missing person complaint. Because my son is mentally not stable, the hospital staff has been negligent towards him," said the father.