West Bengal worker died due to renal failure, says medical official

Chennai: A West Bengal agriculture worker, who came to Tamil Nadu in search of a job, died of acute renal failure and ventilator-associated pneumonia, a senior medical official at the Rajiv Gandhi Government General Hospital, where he was treated, said on Thursday.

The 35-year-old worker, Samar Khan died on October 1. He was rushed to RGGGH in an unconscious state with complaints of vomiting and diarrhea, probably due to an intestinal infection after consuming contaminated food or water, the doctor said.

"His death cannot be attributed to starvation, as the workers had cooked fish during their nearly three-four-day stay at the railway station here and eaten it. Khan had pre-existing health issues during admission," the senior medical official said.

Among the five workers whom the Railway police admitted to the government facility on September 16, Khan underwent dialysis seven times and was on ventilator support. "He finally succumbed to complications including ventilator-associated pneumonia and kidney failure," the medical official said.

His body was flown to his native Purba Midnipur district on Wednesday, he said.

The railway police, upon finding the five workers sick at the Central station here, admitted them to RGGGH. Four of them were discharged after they recovered, while Samar Khan died.

Six other workers who were also rescued, along with them, were temporarily sheltered at the Greater Chennai Corporation’s centre for the homeless here before being sent home.

According to police, the 11 workers had walked all the way to Ponneri in search of an agriculture job and later came back to the Central station when they could not secure the work and decided to return home.

"They should have contacted the government helpline for assistance in case of emergency or at least sought help from someone at the station on time and saved themselves from the ordeal," a labour welfare officer said.