Jharkhand Medical student of state-run RIMS on ventilator after having tea from canteen

Ranchi, Aug 23 (PTI) A first-year postgraduate student of Obstetrics and Gynaecology at Jharkhand's apex health institute RIMS in Ranchi continues to be on a ventilator with her condition critical after allegedly drinking tea from the hospital's canteen, officials said on Saturday.
    The 25-year-old woman suddenly fell ill on Thursday after having tea ordered from the canteen near the orthopaedic ward of the hospital and was rushed to the intensive care unit, where she has been kept on a ventilator.
    A police officer at Bariatu police station said that the sample of the tea has been sent to Forensic Science Laboratory (FSL) at Ranchi and the canteen staff is still being questioned under detention.
    Investigation is on in the case, officials said.
    Earlier, the spokesperson of the state-run institution had said that it may be a case of poisoning.
    The student of Obstetrics and Gynaecology at Rajendra Institute of Medical Sciences (RIMS) was on duty at night on Thursday and ordered tea from the canteen.
    "She poured the tea into a flask in order to drink it at a time when they would be free. After finishing her work, she took a couple of sips of tea and said it was not good and smelled bad, so the rest of the doctors did not take it," the official said.
    After some time, she fell ill, fainted and was taken to the emergency department.
    The flask and several other articles have been sent for a toxicology test as this seems to be a case of poisoning, an official said on Friday.
    "It is not simply a case of food poisoning; we suspect it is a case of chemical poisoning. The matter will be clear only after investigation," said RIMS PRO Dr Rajiv Ranjan.
    He said that the condition of the PG student is stable but critical, and the canteen has been sealed. A complaint had been lodged with the police in this connection, and the police has detained a canteen person who served the tea for questioning.

(This story has not been edited by THE WEEK and is auto-generated from PTI)