Hindustan Times (Amritsar)

‘It’s murder, not death’: Haryana govt to lodge FIR against Gurgaon Fortis

7YROLD’S DEATH Gross negligence by hospital, will ask MCI to cancel its licence, says Vij

- HT Correspond­ent letterschd@hindustant­imes.com n

CHANDIGARH: A three-member panel formed by the Haryana government has found gross negligence by the Fort is Hospital in Gurgaon, causing the death of a seven-year-old girl suffering from dengue.

“There were many irregular ities, unethical practices and the protocol for diagnosis and medical duties was not followed. In simple words, it was not a death, it was a murder,” state health minister Anil Vij told reporters here on Wednesday after the panel submitted its report.

“We aregoing to lodgea police case against the hospital for negligence which caused the death of Adya. We have already sent a notice, asking why the hospital’s pharmacy and blood bank’ slice nces should not be cancelled. We

will also write to the Medical Council of India (MCI) to cancel the hospital ‘s licence,” said VIj, who was flanked by the probe committee members.

The health department panel had been formed to look into charges of foul play in the treatment and overchargi­ng (a bill of Rs 15.5 lakh had been made) that Adya’s parents — Jayant Singh and Deep ti—had level led against the hospital.

Adya’s parents had posted

their plight on social media, triggering an outrage and a promise of action by the Union health minister JPN add a.

“Adya was diagnosed with dengueon August28 atRockland H os pital,Dw ark a. She remained admitted there till August 31 from where she was shifted to Fortis,” Vij said .“She was admitted to the paediatric intensive care unit (PICU) in an emergency condition at the Fortis Memorial Research Institute (FMRI), Gur- gaon, and remained there for 15 days till September 14. She died while being shifted back to Rockland hospital in an ambulance that lacked ventilator and other facilities,” the minister said.

He added that committee members found that“the patient was given highly expensive medicines despite the availabili­ty of various other medicines, including generic ones”. A costly injection was administer­ed on most occasions, which costs Rs 3,112, whereas a substitute worth Rs 499 was available.

“The death of the girl happened due to not following the Leave Against Medical Advice protocol. The girl was on a ventilator, but she was put in an ordinary ambulance, ventilator was withdrawn and an am bu bag was not provided in that, which became the cause of her death," said the minister.

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