JOIN USScores of people, who had developed uneasiness after eating prasad at a temple at Sulavadi village in the district, were made to suffer for want of proper treatment at Kollegala Taluk Hospital.
The Kollegala hospital lacked necessary infrastructure and the staff to cope up with a rush of patients, some of them in serious condition.
The victims were rushed to Sulavadi healthcare centre where they were administered first aid and referred to Kollegala government hospital.
With five doctors on duty, the hospital was simply not equipped to handle the situation. More than 25 critically ill persons have to be shifted to KR Hospital in Mysuru.
Paramedics roped in
District Health Officer Dr K H Prasad rushed to the hospital after he learnt about the incident.
He roped in doctors and paramedics from Belakawadi, Bandalli and others places to treat the patients. But with a steady stream of patients arriving at the hospital, the doctors found it tough to provide medical care.
Private doctors were also pressed into service. A total of 27 patients are being treated as in-patients at Kollegala hospital while the critical patients were shifted to Mysuru for further treatment.
Police cane crowd
Meanwhile, commotion prevailed at the hospital as relatives of the victims and hundreds of people gathered in front of the healthcare centre. Police resorted to mild lathi charge to disperse the crowd at the hospital.