8-yr-old dies after 4 pvt hosps refuse admission

Kolkata: Four private hospitals in the city have been accused of denying admission to a 8-year-old boy who eventually died at the SSKM Hospital.

The incident once again raised question on the role of some private hospitals in the city. The family members of the patient alleged that all the four private hospitals including CMRI, Park Institute and Institute of Child Health have denied admission saying that there was no vacant bed in the hospitals. They also alleged that the baby's life might have been saved if he was given admission to any private hospital.

It was learnt that the patient, Seikh Tanbir Hossain felt abdominal pain on Saturday morning following which the family decided to take him to a hospital. He was taken to one private after another. The family members took the baby to all the four hospitals. The patient was finally shifted to the SSKM Hospital on Sunday. After examining the patient the doctors at the hospital found that the baby needs to undergo a surgery. It was decided that the surgery would be conducted on Monday. But the patient succumbed to his ailments on late Sunday night.

A senior official of the SSKM Hospital said that the doctors took all the steps to save the life of the baby. But unfortunately the patient died. The family members alleged that if the private hospitals had given treatment to the baby, he would not have died.

It may be mentioned here that the West Bengal Clinical Establishment Regulatory Commission (WBCERC) had earlier issued instructions to all the private hospitals that they cannot deny treatment to a patient on pretext of no vacant bed. If a particular hospital has no bed vacant, it should contact other hospitals in the city to ensure that the patient gets admission in any other hospital.

But these private hospitals have allegedly flouted the WBCERC guidelines in this regard.