Bihar hospital uses medicine box as makeshift splint on accident victim, probe launched

On the evening of August 3, Kunal Kumar from Maheshwara village suffered a right-leg fracture in a motorcycle crash near Harsain Bridge and was brought to Manjhaul Sub-Divisional Hospital in Begusarai district. Lacking an orthopaedic specialist and plaster supplies, staff placed two strips of a medicine carton on either side of the broken limb and secured them with rope and bandages, a technique captured in a video that quickly spread online.

Dr Abhinav Priyadarshi, the hospital in-charge, acknowledged the shortcomings but argued that using available material as a temporary splint aligns with medical protocol for emergency immobilisation. He added that the makeshift splint was intended to relieve pain and prevent movement while transferring the patient to a higher-level facility, Sadar Hospital in Begusarai. Begusarai civil surgeon Dr Ashok Kumar confirmed he had seen the footage, noted that such improvised splints can be used in first-aid situations, and announced a probe to determine if any wrongdoing occurred. The case has ignited debate over resource constraints in rural health facilities.