In six years, 522 foreign patients died Ggn pvt hospitals
GURUGRAM: A significant piece of information has been obtained through the Right to Information (RTI) Act with regards to major private hospitals in Gurugram.
Official information from the Municipal Corporation of Gurugram (MCG) has revealed that between 2011 and 2016, 522 patients from various foreign countries, who had come for treatment in major private medical institutions in the city, died of various causes.
Data received from a Right to Information application revealed that with 227 deaths, Medanta Hospital had the highest number of deaths, followed by 160 deaths at Artemis and 108 at Fortis.
No deaths of foreign patients were registered in Max and Park hospitals, so far.
In another RTI, filed by the same petitioner Mohit Khatana, it was revealed that these hospitals report 11 deaths every day.
“One of the major reasons for such a high number of deaths could be that there are sizeable number of patients who come from outside Gurugram. Most of them come in a serious condition, which cannot be treated in hospitals in their areas,” said a senior doctor, who requested anonymity.
Even as ethical practices of private hospitals in the city have come under the cloud in recent months, poor public healthcare system has only resulted in the increase of patients in private hospitals.
Recent cases of medical negligence in major private hospitals have adversely affected the image of the multispecialty hospitals.
An RTI application filed by a social activist reveals that from 2016 to 2017, there have been 46 cases of gross medical negligence at private as well as government hospitals.
In the past, various inspections have been undertaken by the Food and Drugs Department of the Haryana government, not only in small but also in large super-speciality hospitals, where various lapses have been found.
Besides the controversies surrounding top hospitals of Gurugram, another damming report came to light in another recent RTI reply, where over 224 private clinics in the Gurugram district were found to be operated by quacks.
Taking cognisance of the issue, the Haryana government wishes to bring in the Clinical Establishment Act.
It has not been easy for the government however, as private hospital doctors have expressed unhappiness over the law.
Many have even gone on a strike.
The expression of anger against the private healthcare system in the city is not a recent phenomenon.
Deaths and exploitation of minor patients in quick succession in some of the private hospitals have resulted in a group of citizens demanding action against erring hospitals.