Two brothers, who were allegedly being treated by a local quack for fever, died on Thursday in Jharkhand’s Ramgarh district, while their mother was referred to a hospital in Ranchi in critical condition, a senior official said.
Their mother was also admitted to the hospital and later referred to the Rajendra Institute of Medical Sciences (RIMS) in Ranchi in critical condition. Officials appealed to villagers not to fall prey to superstition and to take patients to the nearest health centre or hospital in case of illness. The condition of the two brothers, aged 10 and 15, deteriorated, and they were taken to Sadar Hospital, where they died one after another, officials said.
Instead of consulting a doctor or visiting a hospital, the family allegedly sought treatment from an ‘ojha guni’ , or sorcerer and traditional healer, they said. District Civil Surgeon Dr Anil Kumar said the family members, including the two brothers and their mother, had been suffering from fever for three days but approached an ‘ojha guni’ for treatment instead of consulting a qualified doctor or visiting a hospital. “Their condition turned critical, and they were brought to Sadar Hospital, where the two brothers died, while their mother has been referred to Ranchi in critical condition,” Kumar said.
