Dengue patient dies in Bathinda hospital; kin allege negligence

Tribune News Service

Advertisement

Bathinda, October 11

A woman dengue patient died in the Bathinda civil hospital Saturday night, just 12 hours after she was admitted to the hospital. Alleging negligence on part of doctors, relatives of the deceased and residents of the Shant Nagar area today blocked GT road in front of the hospital. The blockade was lifted after the police recorded the statement of relatives of the deceased.

Satyawati Devi, a resident of Shant Nagar, was admitted to the civil hospital around 10.30pm with about 40,000 platelets. Her relatives alleged due to the red tape, precious time was wasted in starting the treatment, as they were asked to bring the previous diagnostic and other reports of the patient. Even the doctors allegedly kept them shuttling.

“The Emergency Medical Officer on duty asked us to bring files of patients and then he refused to treat the patient claiming it’s a case under observation of another doctor. The EMO gave us the number of another doctor who picked our call on the fourth attempt. He further asked us to approach the EMO. My wife could have been saved if doctors had acted in time,” said Mahesh Kumar, a labourer and husband of victim.

Bathinda Civil Surgeon Dr Tejwant Singh Randhawa, however, said the doctors’ negligence in the case hadn’t come to his knowledge.

“We had not marked any inquiry as the complainant had approached the police, but us. The patient was confirmed with dengue. However, under the district-level dengue test review committee, we would review the case whether it was death by dengue or some other ailment. The matter of negligence of doctors did not come to our knowledge,” the Civil Surgeon said.

Meanwhile, no health team has reached the slum area where two more patients caught dengue in the past three days. They had been admitted to the civil hospital and were undergoing treatment. The reports of MAC Eliza test that confirms the dengue is handed over to patients after two days and the dengue larva teams act after the patient is confirmed of dengue. However, there are number of patients who have been confirmed with dengue but the anti-larva teams failed to reach their houses to conduct fogging.