BAJURA, OCTOBER 5
An inmate serving his jail term in Bajura Prison died last night while being taken to a health facility. The inmate, Dal Bahadur Thapa, of Budhiganga Municipality was doing time in Bajura Prison.
Bajura District Hospital had referred Thapa to a Dhangadi-based health facility after his health condition deteriorated.
Thapa died on the way to hospital last night. The body has been kept in Achham Hospital for post-mortem.
Thapa's relatives said that the patient died due to negligence on the part of the prison authority and they would not receive the body until a fair investigation was carried out. Narendra Thapa, a relative of the inmate, said that the prison did not take him to hospital for treatment on time.
Bajura Prison Chief Sunraj Rawal said there was no negligence from the side of the prison.
"We had taken him to hospital on time," he added. Dal Bahadur had been serving his time for 14 years after he was convicted in a rape case. Bajura District Hospital had referred Thapa, a high blood pressure and diabetes patient, to another health facility on October 3. According to the hospital, the prison took the inmate to Dhangadi-based health facility in coordination with the relatives.
Thapa was taken to Bajura Hospital on October 2 and was discharged the same day after treatment. He was again admitted to the same hospital the next day after he felt uneasy.
Chief at Bajura District Hospital Dr Dipendra Budha said that Thapa was referred to Dhangadi-based hospital after his health condition deteriorated due to blood pressure and diabetes.
Dr Budha said the patient would have been saved had they brought him to the hospital a day earlier. He added that Thapa needed ICU and the facility was unavailable at Bajura District Hospital.
Meanwhile, Chief District Officer Gopal Adhikari said that the body was kept in Achham Hospital for post-mortem. He also said that fair investigation would be carried out to find whether Thapa died due to negligence on the part of the prison administration.
The relatives reached District Administration Office, Bajura, demanding fair investigation.
A version of this article appears in the print on October 6, 2021, of The Himalayan Times.
