Hospital ransacked after patient dies of alleged negligence

Kolkata: Chaos broke out at a private hospital under Pragati Maidan police station area on Wednesday morning, after some relatives of a patient who died of alleged medical negligence, ransacked a portion of the hospital.

The incident led to panic among other patients undergoing treatment at the hospital. A huge contingent of police rushed to the spot and brought the situation under control. The relatives of the deceased have alleged that the patient had not been given proper medical attention.

According to the police, the victim Mosharaf Ali (54), a resident of Kidderpore area, was admitted to the hospital on February 28, over some nerve-related problems.

The victim's family members alleged that the patient had been kept in the general ward for two days, immediately after his admission to the hospital.

The patient was shifted to the critical care unit after his condition deteriorated. He had been kept under ventilation since then. The hospital authorities on early Wednesday morning called the family members and told them that the patient's condition had turned worse.

After being informed, they rushed to the hospital. They alleged that there was no doctor to attend to the patient when they reached the hospital. Within hours after their arrival in the hospital, they were told by the hospital authorities that the patient had died.

After this incident, they staged a demonstration outside the hospital premises, alleging negligence behind his death. They went on a rampage, ransacking a portion of the hospital. Some of the employees of the hospital were allegedly heckled by the mob.

Police are yet to arrest anybody in this connection and have started a probe. The family members of the victim have threatened to lodge a complaint with the state's health regulatory commission.