Families seek CBI probe into children’s death
Families demanded on Thursday a CBI probe into death of children allegedly after a doctor of a private hospital conducted bone marrow transplant (BMT), expressing disappointment with the state government over the investigation.
Amit Agarwal from Patna, whose nephew died, said Dr Satyendra Katewa of Manipal Hospitals conducted BMT on children suffering from thalassaemia and other blood disorders.
He said, “Family members of 23 children have gathered here demanding justice. These parents are from Sonepat, Kurkshetra, Karnal, Jaipur, Kolkata, Amritsar, Delhi, Indore, Siliguri and other places.” Eight children were aged between 11 and 21 years, and the others between 2 and 10 years. The parents alleged that they had demanded a fraud and cheating case be lodged against Dr Katewa, but the government formed a committee of Sawai Man Singh Hospital doctors to investigate the procedure followed by him.
Agarwal said that in February this year, letters were written to the Prime Minister’s Office, ministry of health and family welfare, National Human Rights Commission, and the Rajasthan health department. “Rajasthan’s health department additional chief secretary (ACS) was asked to take action. But ACS, without taking any action, wrote to SMS hospital to probe the case. In reply, SMS hospital wrote that they are not competent to conduct such a probe,” he said. “The health department later wrote to the Rajasthan Medical Council to investigate. SMS hospital was again asked to probe. This shows states that efforts are being made to dilute the case.”
Agarwal said, “We have been demanding that the probe committee have a judicial officer, administrative officer and video recording of the proceedings, but the government has not accepted our demand .”
From 2016 to 2018, Manipal Hospitals have done 50-55 BMT, of which survival after halfmatched stem cell transplant has been less than 50%, he alleged. Agarwal lost his nephew Krishna Agarwal (16), a thalassemia patient, on December 21, 2017.
He said after family members filed a right to information application, the Centre and the Rajasthan health department had stated that permission for Haplo BMT on children suffering from thalassaema has not been given.
“Dr Katewa used to prescribe a costly injection which was to be imported from Germany at around Rs 15 lakh. He also gave the name of a person from whom the injection can be purchased,” Agarwal alleged. “The person was giving injection but without bills, which shows that there is connivance between the doctor and the agent.”
When contacted, Dr Katewa said the allegations were “baseless and fabricated.” He said “BMT is the only cure for thalasasemia and family members of the patients were clearly told about the survival rate of 60-70% in halfmatched BMT. We have got the form of consent duly signed by the parents.”
Dr Katewa also said no permission was needed for conducting BMT. On the cost, he said, “There is no package for BMT, but generally it costs around Rs 16-20 lakh.”
Dr Sandeep Jasuja, a BMT expert with Sawai Man Singh Hospital, said, “Half-matched HLA BMT has not been done on any thalassemic children in SMS hospital.”
In a statement, Manipal Hospitals unit head G Karthivelan said, “We refute all charges levelled against the doctor and hospital. They are baseless, wrong and fabricated because no patient died during the treatment and the patient they are talking about died after 100 days at his house or some other place after being discharged from the hospital.”
JAIPUR: