Families allege negligence after 3 die in hospital ICU
20 July 2013 11:38 PM GMT
Three people, including two minors, died in the intensive care unit (ICU) of Max Super Speciality Hospital in Patparganj, east Delhi, within hours of each other, on Friday. Though, families claimed medical negligence as the cause for the deaths, police officials are as of now reluctant to call it so. Hospital sources also denied any negligence on the part of doctors.
Of the three deceased, one was a 22-year-old woman, one a five-month-old baby and another seven months old. The five-month-old baby had been suffering from jaundice and referred to Max by Fortis hospital. He had been admitted at Max on Thursday evening. The other two were brought in separately on Friday. 'The conditions of all three patients were critical, which is why they had been admitted in the emergency section and then shifted to the ICU. Within two hours of their shifting they were declared dead and the bodies were handed-over to their respective families,' Sonia Kumar, general secretory of an NGO, who was present at the hospital, said.
After being told that the 22-year-old woman was dead, her family called the police control room alleging negligence by doctors. When cops reached the hospital, the families of the other two deceased also gathered there and started shouting slogans against the doctors and the hospital staff. ‘We have sent the bodies for post-mortem examination. In addition, we have asked the hospital to submit the medical reports of all three patients,' a police official investigating the case said.
A hospital staff denied all allegations of negligence and said, ‘30 per cent of patients shifted to ICU are very critical. Death in the ICU does not mean negligence. It is caused by serious health problems.' A source in police said the claims by the families appear to staged and might be an effort by them to get the hospital bills slashed. 'We are waiting for the autopsy report. If the hospital is found guilty a case will be registered,’ said a source in the police.
Of the three deceased, one was a 22-year-old woman, one a five-month-old baby and another seven months old. The five-month-old baby had been suffering from jaundice and referred to Max by Fortis hospital. He had been admitted at Max on Thursday evening. The other two were brought in separately on Friday. 'The conditions of all three patients were critical, which is why they had been admitted in the emergency section and then shifted to the ICU. Within two hours of their shifting they were declared dead and the bodies were handed-over to their respective families,' Sonia Kumar, general secretory of an NGO, who was present at the hospital, said.
After being told that the 22-year-old woman was dead, her family called the police control room alleging negligence by doctors. When cops reached the hospital, the families of the other two deceased also gathered there and started shouting slogans against the doctors and the hospital staff. ‘We have sent the bodies for post-mortem examination. In addition, we have asked the hospital to submit the medical reports of all three patients,' a police official investigating the case said.
A hospital staff denied all allegations of negligence and said, ‘30 per cent of patients shifted to ICU are very critical. Death in the ICU does not mean negligence. It is caused by serious health problems.' A source in police said the claims by the families appear to staged and might be an effort by them to get the hospital bills slashed. 'We are waiting for the autopsy report. If the hospital is found guilty a case will be registered,’ said a source in the police.
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