Ludhiana: Man dies of cardiac arrest while waiting at hospital

In a shocking incident, a 74- year- old man suffered a cardiac arrest and died while waiting for the doctor to arrive at ESI Hospital near Bharat Nagar Chowk on Tuesday afternoon

In a shocking incident, a 74- year- old man suffered a cardiac arrest and died while waiting for the doctor to arrive at ESI Hospital near Bharat Nagar Chowk on Tuesday afternoon.

The inconsolable relatives of the deceased outside ESI Hospital near Bharat Nagar Chowk in Ludhiana on Tuesday. (Gurpreet Singh/HT)

The death triggered a protest by the victim’s relatives who accused the hospital of medical negligence. They placed the man’s body in front of the hospital and raised slogans. This led to a massive traffic jam, leaving hundreds of commuters stranded on either side of the road.

The deceased has been identified as Moti Ram (74) of Shimlapuri. Ram’s son said his father was a heart patient and as he was suffering from pain, he brought him to ESI Hospital on his motorcycle at 9 am.

“Around 30 to 35 patients were already waiting outside the cardiologist’s room. We waited for over three hours, but the doctor didn’t come. In the meantime, my father suffered a cardiac arrest,” he said.

Soon, the police arrived at the scene and pacified the relatives, following which they lifted the protest.

Medical superintendent Dr Bhairavi Deshmukh said the patient had visited the hospital for the first time. “There were 30 other patients who were also waiting for check-up, when he suddenly he suffered a cardiac arrest. He was immediately rushed to the emergency unit, where the doctors tried to resuscitate him. When his condition worsened, the patient was rushed to Deep Hospital in Model Town, where he was declared dead. So far, we are not aware of the patient’s medical history. I have asked attending doctor for more inputs,” said Dr Deshmukh.

However, Ram’s son alleged that his father died at ESI Hospital before he was rushed to Deep Hospital and accused the doctors and staff of negligence. “This is the situation of ESI Hospital, where a patient dies standing in queue and the doctor remains missing from duty,” he said.