11 'mysterious illness' patients discharged from Rajouri GMC

Eleven patients, who were admitted to the Government Medical College Hospital (GMC) after falling ill due to a mysterious illness at Badhaal village of Rajouri district, have fully recovered and been discharged, officials said on Tuesday.

A team of doctors from the All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS), New Delhi, concluded a three-day visit to Rajouri. They examined the patients from Badhaal village and collected various samples as part of their investigation into the recent deaths in the area.

"All patients from Badhaal village have now fully recovered. Today, they were shifted from the treatment ward to the general observation area of the hospital," Dr Shamim Ahmed, Medical Superintendent of GMC Hospital, Rajouri, told reporters here.

Dr Shamim said that among these patients are three, who were previously in the ICU.

He said all patients are stable, out of danger and have been moved to the general observation area, where other village residents are also being monitored as a precautionary measure.

Sources said that doctors at GMC, Rajouri, treated the 11 patients with Atropine, an anti-poison drug. They were admitted to the hospital last month.

Rajouri Deputy Commissioner Abhishek Sharma on Tuesday visited the hospital to meet these patients. He also convened a meeting with the doctors and medical staff at GMC Hospital, where the principal briefed him on the overall health status of the patients.