‘Negligence’: Health regulatory body reprimands AMRI Mukundapur

The West Bengal Clinical Establishment Regulatory Commission (WBCERC) on Monday reprimanded the AMRI Mukundapur for its alleged negligence and also directed the hospital to donate Rs 10,000 to a blind school in Narendrapur.

According to the WBCERC, one Dipanjan Nath, a resident of Barrackpore took his elderly mother to AMRI Mukundapur Hospital as she was suffering from various comorbidities. The patient remained in a coma for a long time. The patient was earlier admitted to AMRI Hospitals 12 times. She was admitted in AMRI Dhakuria 3 times in the past and 9 times at AMRI Mukundapur. The patient’s son had called up AMRI Mukundapur asking if there was any bed available. The person whom he had spoken to over phone told him that a bed was available and the patient could be admitted. The patient was then complaining about discomfort. When the patient was taken to the hospital, the doctors felt that the patient did not require ICU care and a general bed was recommended.

The hospital then told the patient’s family that no general bed was available. The WBCERC during the hearing observed that as the patient was previously admitted to the same group of hospitals for 12 times, the hospital should have searched for a general bed in four other hospitals under the same group.

The hospital here claimed that they did not have the mail ID of the patient and therefore sent a normal which the family did not receive.

The WBCERC found it not convincing enough that they did not have the records of a patient who was admitted 12 times in the same group hospital. The WBCERC also expressed unhappiness as the hospital labelled the patient’s family members compliant as “frivolous and unfounded”. The WBCERC has directed the AMRI Mukundapur to issue a written apology to the family members of the patient and Rs 10,000 be donated by the hospital to Narnedrapur blind boys’ school in the patient’s name.