Ggn boy dies after father fails to pay Rs 50k advance at hospital

Gurugram: Recent cases of apathy by hospitals in Gurugram caused the Haryna Health minister to announce that the rogue attitude of hospitals towards patients and their families will not be tolerated.

There seems to be little change, however, on the ground, with a seven-year-old boy reportedly losing his life after he was denied admission by a private hospital as his father could not pay Rs 50,000 as advance for treatment.

The case came to light on Thursday, when Devraj, living in the slum around Gurugram's Sector-46, complained of intense abdominal pain.

Devraj's father rushed him to Suryadeep Hospital, where he was referred to Civil Hospital as he could not pay the requisite advance amount.

At the government hospital, Devraj's condtion deteriorated and within minutes, he succumbed to his illness.

"The patient was brought at an extremely critical stage, therefore it became very difficult for our doctors to rescue him. His abdomen was totally swollen, indicating presence of a lot of fluids. He could have survived had he received timely treatment," said Dr Pradeep Sharma, chief medical officer at Civil Hospital

However, a senior doctor at Suryadeep Hospital, who wished to remain anonymous, said, "It is not that we did not want to admit the patient. We just gave them the rough estimate, which was not acceptable to the patients family."

While recent cases of medical negligence in Gurugram involved patients from middle and upper middle classes, the above case shows how badly financially weak families are treated by the private healthcare system.

Haryana Health minister Anil Vij had recently ordered revoking the license of Fortis Hospital, Gurugram, as it did not provide treatment to 20 per cent of EWS patients.

According to the minister, despite an official pact between Haryana Urban Development Authority (HUDA) and Fortis for treatment of financially weak patients, the management failed to honour the commitment.

After action on Fortis Hospital in Gurugram, people who have been victims to malpractices at the hands of other private hospitals in Gurugram now have demanded action against the management of such hospitals. Not only Fortis, but several other private hospitals in the city have beein involved in shocking incidents of negligence and apathy.

In November, 12-year-old Prateek, who was admitted to Park Hospital, died under mysterious circumstances. The victim's family alleged he died due to negligence.

The chief medical officer is currently probing the matter.

Another incident was reported at Shiva Hospital, where two staff members molested a minor patient admitted to the ICU.

The culprits were arrested, yet the family demanded closure of the hospital.

Now, the Haryana government wants to bring in the Clinical Establishment Act, in order to regulate private hospitals in the state.