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Dengue patient’s death: Owner of Prayagraj’s Global Hospital arrested
Pappu Sahu, the owner of Global Hospital located in Peepal Goan area in Jhalwa area of Sangam city, was arrested late on Friday night
The Prayagraj district police arrested the owner of a private hospital here in connection with a case related to the death of a 30-year-old dengue patient allegedly owing to transfusion of poorly preserved platelets and medical negligence, police said on Saturday.
Pappu Sahu, the owner of Global Hospital located in Peepal Goan area in Jhalwa here, was arrested late on Friday night. Confirming the arrest, senior superintendent of police (SSP), Prayagraj, Shailesh Kumar Pandey said, “He has been arrested in connection with the case. Efforts are also under way to nab his son and other wanted in the same case.”
An FIR was registered against Pappu Sahu, a resident of Kaushambi district, his son Satish Sahu besides doctors who treated the patient, at Dhumanganj police station on October 21 on the complaint of deceased Pradeep Pandey’s wife Vaishnavi.
The FIR was registered under Indian Penal Code sections 419 (cheating by personation), 420 (cheating), 467 (forging document), 468 (forgery, intending that the forged document or electronic record shall be used for the purpose of cheating ), 471 (fraudulently or dishonestly using as genuine any document or electronic record knowing it to be forged), 274 (adulterating drug or any medical preparation), 304 (culpable homicide not amounting to murder) and 120-B (being party to a criminal conspiracy).
Earlier, the Global Hospital was sealed on the orders of chief medical officer (CMO), Prayagraj, Dr Nanak Saran following the death of the dengue patient and on October 29 its registration was also permanently cancelled.
“On getting complaint against the Global Hospital, an inquiry committee was constituted. After finding the hospital prima facie guilty of medical negligence, the registration of the hospital was suspended and it was sealed. After getting the recommendations of the inquiry committee, the registration of the hospital too has been cancelled,” CMO had said citing his order at the time.
The inquiry committee had concluded that Pradeep Pandey had died due to transfusion of “poorly-preserved platelets” and not owing to fake or contaminated platelets. The three-member probe committee set up by the Prayagraj district administration had also found negligence in the treatment of the patient at the Global Hospital following which he was later shifted to another hospital where he died.
The probe panel had also found that the patient was administered many antibiotics without proper testing during the treatment at the Global Hospital which had further lowered his platelet count and this also contributed to his death, officials added.
The patient, Pradeep Pandey, a contractor and resident of Bamrauli in Prayagraj, was admitted to Global Hospital on October 14. He was transfused platelets following which his condition deteriorated. He was then shifted to another private hospital on October 17 where he died on October 19 morning.
Pradeep’s brother-in-law Saurabh Tripathi had claimed that when the doctors informed that the patient needed platelets, the family members donated blood and arranged platelets from SRN Hospital blood bank which were given to Pradeep and he had shown signs of improvement.
“However, five more units of platelets were demanded by the doctors and the Global Hospital staff then got us in touch with a man who arranged the five units of platelets for Pradeep for ₹25,000 charging ₹5,000 per unit on October 17. As soon as these were transfused to Pradeep, his condition started deteriorating and he died despite being shifted to another hospital,” Saurabh had alleged.
The Prayagraj DM had ordered additional city magistrate (ACM) Saurabh Bhatt; additional CMO Dr Sunil Kumar and CO (Civil Lines) NN Singh to undertake a detailed probe into the matter. At the same time, a unit of platelet was also sent to the SRN Hospital lab for examination as part of the probe. This unit was part of the five units procured for Pradeep but never transfused to him.
