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Journalism of Courage
In the early hours on Thursday when Gujarat was bracing for the landfall of a “very severe cyclonic storm”, 15-year-old Aarti Kubawat was bitten by a snake on her left foot outside her house in Bet Dwarka. Her family members immediately rushed her to a nearby dispensary where a team tried to administer her treatment. However, Aarti’s health condition began deteriorating, leaving the family worried with the ferry service between Okha and Bet Dwarka having been suspended in view of Cyclone Biparjoy. But the promptness of the health officials and a quickly-planned rescue operation helped save the life of the teen despite the challenges.
“When the dispensary at Bet Dwarka told us the jetty services, as well as the ambulance boat, had been suspended due to the cyclone, I thought I would not survive. However, I am grateful that the administration went out of its way to rescue me and grant me a new life even in times of crisis,” Aarti was quoted as saying in a statement.
When Ramavat contacted Chief District Health Officer Dr Mitesh Bhandari to inform him about the situation, a rescue operation was planned. “We first did a video call with a consultant who confirmed that the snake bite was indeed from a poisonous snake… immediately, I called the port officer at Okha and explained the situation to him, he coordinated with locals and arranged a jetty to ferry the patient to the Okha shore. I also called the district nodal officer of 108 emergency services and briefed him about the situation to ensure that the ambulance was placed on standby with the ready antivenom,” Dr Bhandari told The Indian Express.
As soon as Aarti was rescued from Bet Dwarka and brought to Okha, the paramedic staff of the ambulance administered the antivenom to her.
Following the request of the family, Aarti was then taken to the Mithapur hospital and later to the sub-district hospital in Dwarka, where she was administered another antivenom during the day. “We advised them to shift her to Dwarka sub-district hospital as the availability of the antivenom is in bigger volume there as compared to Mithapur… Sometimes, depending on the depth of the snake bite and the quantity of the venom that it has injected, the patient may need up to 25 antivenom doses… Currently, with two antidotes, she is stabilising,” Dr Bhandari said.
Devbhumi Dwarka District Collector Ashok Sharma said, “We are indeed glad that we were able to save the 15-year-old with the emergency rescue for the antidote even in this situation thanks to the prompt response of the health department as we prepare for the cyclone.”
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