86-year-old's death: NCW chief alleges negligence, writes to Punjab CM
Tribune News Service
Jalandhar, June 14
The chairperson of the National Commission for Women (NCW), Rekha Sharma, has written a letter to Chief Minister Capt Amarinder Singh alleging negligence in the treatment of an 86-year-old man who died of Covid a few days ago. The letter has been posted by her on Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn. Sharma also said she shall be writing to the Governor on the issue.
Alleging government negligence in treatment, Sharma said while her uncle and others who had lost their lives due to negligence won’t come back, she was writing the letter “as I don’t want others to lose their loved ones because of medical negligence and state government’s apathy”.
Dev Dutt Sharma, who died of Covid in Jalandhar, was reported to have received treatment at a private hospital from where he was referred to the Civil Hospital. From there, he was taken to the IMA facility, where he died. Sharma’s letter also raises questions on the lab which tested him.
In her letter, Sharma writes, “He (her uncle) had suffered a minor heart attack. He was shifted to a government hospital but no medication was given to him. Even the daily medicine was not given to him even when his sons requested the hospital staff to let them handover the medicine to their father.”
Speaking to The Tribune, Rekha Sharma said, “There was negligence in the treatment of my uncle. The letter’s aim is to ensure that this shouldn’t happen to anyone else.”
Civil Surgeon, Jalandhar, Dr Gurinder Kaur Chawla, said, “So far, a complaint hasn’t reached me through any patient for from the social media but if it comes, we shall definitely look into it and order an inquiry. I am personally not aware of any such negligence and shall have to ask the treating doctors about this.”
The case
- Dev Dutt Sharma, who died of Covid in Jalandhar, was reported to have received treatment at a private hospital from where he was referred to the Civil Hospital
- From there, he was taken to the IMA facility, where he died
- NCW chief Rekha Sharma’s letter to CM has raised questions on the lab which tested him
