‘Bhujbal was admitted on basis of symptoms’

While Arthur Road jail medical officer, Dr Rahul Ghule, is facing action for his role in referring NCP leader Chhagan Bhujbal for medical treatment, doctors at St. George’s Hospital have said that they admitted the patient based on the fact that he was showing serious symptoms.

Bhujbal had been admitted to the hospital recently following complaints of chest pain and breathlessness and he was first admitted to the intensive care unit. He has now been shifted to the general ward of the hospital and is currently under treatment for his medical problems.

According to Dr Ghule, the medical officer who referred Bhujbal for treatment, “Since the prisoner was going for check up on his dental problems, we decided to send him also for a complete health check up. It is a fact that we cannot send patients to hospital frequently and hence, I thought best to get him checked up for his problems of blood pressure, diabetes, chest pain and giddiness,” he said.

The doctor further claimed that the superintendent of Arthur Road Jail, Bharat Bhonsale was fully aware of this development, and hence it is wrong to say that he kept others in the dark. “The fact that doctors from St. George’s Hospital felt the need to admit him in the ICU for treatment clearly shows that I had done the right thing,” Dr Ghule said.

Dr Jagdish Bhavani, medical superintendent of St. George’s Hospital, said that they had admitted Bhujbal based on the diagnosis that was made when he was brought to the hospital. “He had a high blood pressure of 180/140 and hence we felt the need to admit him in the ICU and send him for further tests,” he added.

Dr Bhavani further said that a detailed inquiry has been carried out in this matter and a video recording of all the medical evidences has been prepared. “Bhujbal has now been shifted out of the ICU and has been kept in the general ward for observation. He will be going for the CT Scan test tomorrow, after which he is likely to be discharged,” he added.

During a press conference earlier in the week, when the Special Inspector General of Prisons, BK Singh was asked why Bhujbal was admitted by the St. George’s doctors, he declined to comment. “This is a medical issue and I cannot say why the hospital doctors decided to admit him for treatment,” he added.

“T he fact that doctors from St. George’s Hospital felt the need to admit him in the ICU for treatment clearly shows that I had done the right thing.”