Death at Civil Hospital: Negligence of staff in handling unknown patient’s case: SMO

Tribune News Service

Nitin Jain

Ludhiana, September 14

Poor coordination among the staff due to over-admissions seems to be the probable reason behind the death of a patient after falling off a stretcher at the Civil Hospital here on August 27, the Senior Medical Officer (SMO), Dr Mandeep Sidhu, has said.

Chief Secy orders strictest action

Taking a suo motu cognisance of the incident, Chief Secretary (SC) Anurag Verma has asked for strict action against all those found wanting. “In this case, a precious human life has been lost. So, you are directed to take strictest possible action against all concerned on whose part lapses/negligence has been found in the inquiry report. This will include the doctors/nurses and other employees,” the CS had written to the Principal Secretary Health (PSH), Vivek Pratap Singh, on September 6. The Chief Secretary had also asked the PSH to personally visit the Lord Mahavir Civil Hospital in Ludhiana and issue clear-cut guidelines/standard operating procedures after analysing the complete set-up so that such an incident does not re-occur in future at that hospital or at any other government hospital. “This should be done by September 13,” Verma had ordered.

In her report submitted to the high-level inquiry committee, she admitted negligence on part of the hospital staff in poor handling of the case, which resulted in the death of the patient.

The SMO was found lacking in control and supervision over the staff and management during the inquiry into the death of an unidentified patient at the hospital, which was conducted by a panel, headed by the Deputy Commissioner Surabhi Malik as its chairperson and Additional Deputy Commissioner Gautam Jain, SDM (East) Gursimran Singh Dhillon and Civil Surgeon Dr Hatinder Kaur as members.

The inquiry, ordered by Chief Secretary Anurag Verma while taking cognisance of the matter on August 29, had already reported additional/ supervisory lapses on the part of five other doctors and lack of better management/ vigilance on the part of another doctor on duty at the hospital on the fateful day.

“In this case, the emergency was full of patients and in anticipation of new patients arriving, staff nurse Kuldeep Kaur got the patient shifted at her own level through Class IV employee Manoj without taking any written order from emergency medical officer (EMO) Dr Lovepreet, who was on duty at that time,” the SMO submitted in her probe report, a copy of which is with The Tribune.

She admitted that poor coordination among the staff due to over-admissions seems to be the probable reason. “It is evident from the fact that house surgeon Dr Dhananjay did not inform the EMO on duty Dr Lovepreet about the patient concerned,” Dr Sidhu noted.

She said no information about the availability of vacant beds in the unknown ward was sought by the emergency staff on duty before shifting the patient.

“The Class IV employee, Manoj, was supposed to be more vigilant and should have informed the male ward in-charge as well as the EMO about the non-availability of beds,” she reported, while admitting that it was negligence on his part to leave the unknown patient with head injury and altered sensorium on the stretcher all alone. “He did not even get the shifting order recorded on the patient’s file and register,” she clarified.

The SMO further submitted that the duty roster of house surgeons was made by Dr Charan Kamal from July 7 to August 31. “However, as per verbal orders by the Civil Surgeon on August 26, Dr Amanpreet Kaur was made the nodal officer while Dr Sourav Singla was ordered to assist her,” she informed.

She said in the letter, it was clearly pointed out that the attendance, roster and compliance of duties shall be the responsibility of the concerned team.

“The house surgeon, Dr Sunaiya, was on evening duty in male/unknown ward on August 27 but she remained absent from duty without any sanctioned leave from the competent authority and without getting her duty adjusted before proceeding on leave,” Dr Sidhu detailed.

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