Private trust’s licence to rehabilitate mentally challenged people likely to be withdrawn after 2 deaths

“While the report of the food sample taken from the rehabilitation home is awaited, we have taken action against the institute for negligence,” said District Social Welfare Officer Yogesh Patil. He said, “It has also been flagged that the home had licence to run as a rehabilitation centre whereas it was functioning as a residential school. This, too, is one of the reasons to withdraw their licence.”

Patil had earlier issued a showcause notice to the centre after the death of two mentally challenged individuals — Harshal Ganesh Bhoir (23) and Mohammed Zuber Shaikh (11). But Patil said the centre has not tendered any explanation until now.

According to Patil, the test of drinking water samples from the home does not show any infection. “The stool samples taken from the children who were admitted to Rural Health Centres (RHC) have shown infection of cholera. Realising the situation, the action is taken on negligence by the centre.  Even as the food-sample test report is awaited, the centre was expected to have been more careful when the children fell ill. Instead of taking children to a private doctor, they could have brought them to the RHC,” said Patil.

The final post-mortem report of the two deceased is awaited along with the lab test report of the food samples.