MillenniumPost
Bengal

Three, including minor, die due to medical negligence

Kolkata: Allegations of medical negligence have come up against three private hospitals in the city that led to the death of three persons including a two-and-a-half-year-old girl on Wednesday morning.
Protests outside the respective private hospitals by family members of the deceased created huge ruckus. Complaints with lodged with respective police stations with the family members seeking proper action in the cases.
The private hospitals against whom the allegations have cropped up are located at Mukundapur, Alipore and one is situated off the EM Bypass.
The two-and-a-half-year-old girl, Atreyi, was admitted to the hospital a couple of days ago with a high fever. A resident of Kamalgazi in the southern fringes of the city, Jayanta Dey and his wife Sampa chose the private hospital in Mukundapur to admit their daughter.
She started shivering badly after an injection was administered on Wednesday morning and later succumbed.
Her mother alleged that delay in giving oxygen led to the death of her daughter. She said: "I saw that they were not getting the oxygen mask. She would not have died if oxygen was given to her on time."
The hospital authorities, however, brushed aside all allegations and claimed that there was no question of negligence. They also claimed that the girl was recovering. Since the exact reason behind the child's death has not been ascertained, the hospital authorities proposed autopsy of the baby's body.
The situation went out of control when Atreyi's death news spread among her relatives and neighbours. They held the hospital authorities responsible for her death and got engaged in a heated altercation with a few officials of the hospital.
Even senior official of the hospital, Jayanti Chatterjee, was found telling a close relative of the victim not to behave like a hooligan as no one was a bigger hooligan than her. However, she later apologised when the situation spiralled out of control. Family members demanded Chatterjee's arrest.
Later in the evening, the hospital issued a statement stating that a committee has been set up to look into the incident and Chatterjee has been asked to go on leave till the investigation is over.
The victim's family members have lodged a complaint with East Jadavpur police station in this connection.
In another case of alleged medical negligence, a 54-year-old man died without getting any treatment when taken to a private hospital off the EM Bypass. Victim Alok Das was an employee of Rajabazar Science College. He was taken to the hospital in an ambulance as he was suffering from breathing trouble.
He was allegedly not provided with minimum treatment as there were no vacant beds in the emergency ward of the hospital. He even left the ambulance and walked into the hospital on his own. Later, he was taken inside for treatment when he fell unconscious. But doctors declared him dead. A complaint was lodged with Phoolbagan police station in this connection.
At a private hospital in Alipore, one Gautam Pal succumbed to his injuries late on Tuesday night. Pal had received injuries in an accident on Maa flyover on his left leg and right hand. The victim's family members alleged that medical negligence led to Pal's death and a complaint was lodged with Alipore police station regarding the same.
The victim's family members and neighbours prevented the hospital authorities when they attempted to take Pal's body for an autopsy and started agitating by putting up a roadblock.
Policemen from Alipore police station went to the spot and brought the situation under control. The roadblock was withdrawn when senior police officers intervened.

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