In a shocking reflection of the state of affairs of health services in Uttar Pradesh, a video, which went viral on social media, showed a stray dog nibbling at the dead body of a girl at a government hospital in the state's Sambhal district, about 400 kilometres from here.
According to the sources, a ward boy and a sweeper of the hospital were suspended in this regard on charges of laxity. A committee had also been formed to investigate the matter.
Sources said that the girl child had met with an accident and was brought to the hospital on Thursday. She died a little later. Her dead body was kept on a stretch and was kept in a room inside the hospital premises.
The 20-second video clearly showed a stray dog nibbling at the dead body after removing the white sheet with which the body was covered. It was not clear if the person, who made the video, shooed away the dog.
''We have taken note of the incident....it is shameful....we will take stern action against those responsible for it,'' said a senior health official here on Friday.
The opposition Samajwadi Party (SP), which also released the video from its authorised Twitter handle, sharply condemned the incident and demanded a thorough probe and punishment to the guilty.
''The incident shows the pathetic state of the affairs of the health services in the state......the chief minister should focus on improving the health services rather than praising its government,'' said a senior SP leader here.
Earlier also there had been reports of ward boys performing minor surgeries at government hospitals in the state.