3-member committee to probe medical negligence

The state health department on Thursday has formed a three-member committee to probe the death of Sunil Pandey who died of alleged medical negligence and wrong treatment at Medica Superspecialty Hospital recently.

The members of the committee will include Dr Plaban Mukherjee, head of the CTVS department at Calcutta Medical College and Hospital; Dr Ananda Kishore Pal, head of the orthopedic department at the SSKM and Dr Soumitra Ghosh of general medicine at SSKM.

The victim's family members had met senior health department officials at Swasthya Bhavan on Tuesday and lodged a complaint against the hospital authorities. They also met Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee at her residence on Wednesday requesting her intervention to order probe into the incident.

After their meeting with the Chief Minister, Pandey's family members also claimed that she has assured a job to the next of kin. Pandey's family members had lodged a complaint with the state health department on Tuesday after he died of alleged negligence. It was learnt that the probing committee will seek details of his treatment carried out at the private hospital. They will examine the case history of the patient as well as ascertain the exact cause of his death.

Police have started a separate probe into the incident after the family members of Pandey lodged a formal complaint.

The investigating officers will interrogate the doctors who treated Pandey at the private hospital in this connection. The police will also collect documents related to his treatment.

Sunil Pandey, a resident of Patuli, was admitted to Medica Superspecialty Hospital on March 6 after he complained of chest pain. The hospital claimed that a stent was implanted though the post mortem report suggested otherwise.