Delhi govt show-causes 5 hospitals for refusing dengue patient

The government move comes after parents of the boy, who died of suspected dengue after allegedly being denied admission by the private hospitals, committed suicide by jumping from a four-storeyed building in South Delhi’s Lado Sarai. The couple has been identified as <g data-gr-id="58">Laxmichandra</g> and Babita Rout.

Reacting to the tragic incident, Delhi Health Minister Satyendra Jain said the government had issued <g data-gr-id="47">notices</g> but it was unlikely that their registrations would be cancelled outright.

“Names of five hospitals have come to light and we have issued notices to all of them. We have asked them to specify the reason behind their denial of admission. “Government will do whatever it can, including strict action against them (errant hospitals). If such a situation arises that they compel the government to cancel their registration, <g data-gr-id="57">government</g> will also do it. But it can’t be done on today’s date. Now is the time to fight dengue,” Jain said.

Apart from Max Saket and Moolchand Khairati Ram, the notices have been issued to Aakash Hospital (Malviya Nagar), Saket City Hospital, and Irene Hospital (Kalkaji). They have been asked to reply within a month, a senior government official said.

Jain has also directed “strictest” action against those who flout the government’s August 28 advisory which makes it mandatory for all hospital and nursing homes to admit patient suffering from dengue. The couple’s only son, Avinash, died of dengue on September 8 after allegedly being denied admission by the private hospitals the previous day.

Meanwhile, the Union Health Ministry on Saturday ordered an inquiry into the tragic case. Health Minister JP Nadda said that the “guilty will not be spared”. “Ordered inquiry into <g data-gr-id="52">incident</g> reported in media involving <g data-gr-id="53">death</g> of <g data-gr-id="54">child</g> in Delhi due to Dengue and suicide by parents. Guilty won’t be spared,” the minister said in a tweet.

The deceased, both natives of Odisha, left behind a one-page suicide note in which they have written that “it was nobody’s fault” and that “the decision” was theirs. Police have initiated an inquest proceeding in the case under Section 174 of CrPC, but no case has been registered so far.

Meanwhile on Saturday, two more dengue deaths have been reported in the city taking the toll to eight, even though in official data collated by civic officials the figure was just two.

The civic body is yet to include six more deaths, recorded by hospitals in their official lists.

A six-month-old girl died at North Delhi Municipal Corporation-run Bara Hindu Rao Hospital on August 28.

“The girl was admitted with high fever and died of dengue shock syndrome. We had performed ELISA test on her which confirmed that she was suffering from dengue,” said a senior doctor at the hospital.

A three-year-old boy died of dengue at Ram Manohar Lohia Hospital on September 10. The hospitals said they would notify the municipal corporation of the death as per the protocol.