KV Correspondent

Medical negligence cases at LD go ‘unpunished’

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Medical negligence at Valley’s lone maternity hospital, Lalla Ded Hospital has now become a norm, with inquiry panels being formed to fix responsibilities but no action taken against the erring medicos.

In May, this year, a woman named Asifa from Lal Bazar, Srinagar, lost her infant due to alleged medical negligence by the medics who were attending her. After much hue and cry, the Hospital authorities formed a five member committee to look into the cause of infant death, which was then discarded, when the Principal GMC formed a three member committee to look into the cause of death and fix the responsibility. The committee was asked to file the report within three days.

However, what followed was, no action being taken against those who are responsible. What is more bizarre is that the inquiry report, in this case was not even made public, with Asifa’s husband, Rouf Ahmad filing an RTI on the direction of Principal GMC, he was out rightly denied the inquiry report.

“It has been two months now, I am being continuously denied the copy of inquiry report,” said Rouf Ahmad, who has now filed an application in State Human Rights Commission (SHRC), so that justice will be served to him. The SHRC has scheduled the hearing in his case in October.

After Asifa’s case, there occurred yet another case of medical negligence at LD Hospital, and this case too was dealt in the same way as that of Asifa’s, but what was different in this case was that the death occurred due to the alleged negligence of doctors. Shaheena (34), a resident of Bemina lost her life.

However, in Shaheena’s case the report copy was provided to the family which clearly says that she died due to the sheer negligence of doctors, and what is infuriating both the families is the inaction of the administration to act against the erring doctors.

“Anyone who is responsible for the negligence should be brought to justice, so that such tragedies won’t occur in future,” says Rouf Ahmad.

Since when the tragedies stuck both the families, Rouf Ahmad (husband of Arifa) and Tariq Iqbal (husband of Shaheena), have been running from pillar to post, with administration seems to be in deep slumber, refusing to wake up to the requests and demands from both the families.

Interestingly, the inquiry that submitted its report on June 19 states “Set transfusion protocols were not followed, written consent for transfusion not taken; transfusion started by nursing orderly without information of doctor on duty; no order for transfusion on ticket; proper receipt with signature of doctor on duty not taken on blood form.”

The report further says that that the set transfusion protocols were not followed at the hospital, and “resuscitation measures in labour room could have been more prompt and more effective.”

The administration, apart from Medical Superintendent, Lalla Ded Hospital, has not been responsive in both the cases, with Principal GMC out rightly refusing to comment on the issue.

According to sources, apart from the case of Arifa and Shaheena, there occurred two more negligence cases, which were not reported and no enquiry panel was constituted.

The failure of Health Department to fix the responsibility in, even after the probe panel accepting that the set protocols were not followed, is raising serious question on the functioning of the department, said an official.

The inquiry report submitted in Shaheena’s case—which is accepting the wrong—is clearly suggesting that there was something wrong—on the part of medics—in Arifa’s case, too.

As of now, according to the families, inquiry panels and inquiry reports are nothing but mere eyewash. However, both the families are determined to pursue their respective cases till justice is delivered to them and those responsible, face a tough action.

 


KV Correspondent

Kashmir Correspondent cover all daily updates for the newspaper

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