Three doctors suspended, inquiry into sweeper’s death at St George’s Hospital

After an angry mob attacked St George’s Hospital on Wednesday night following the death of a Class IV employee there, three doctors on duty have been suspended

MUMBAI: After an angry mob of 200 attacked St George’s Hospital on Wednesday night following the death of a Class IV employee there, three doctors on duty have been suspended. An inquiry into the allegations of medical negligence will be conducted by a three-member body headed by the JJ Hospital dean Pallavi Saple.

The family of Anish Kailash Chauhan, who worked as a sweeper in the hospital, was satisfied with the suspension of the doctors. (Bhushan Koyande/HT Photo)

While the family claimed that Anish Kailash Chauhan, the patient who worked as a sweeper in the hospital, was neglected for over two hours, hospital authorities said he was attended to within minutes.

“The patient arrived at the hospital at 5.54 pm and was attended to by the casualty officer by 5.58 pm,” said the resident medical officer (RMO) on duty on Thursday. “As he had fallen and had a head injury, he was recommended treatment, which he was ambivalent about and chose to take LAMA (leave against medical advice). Eventually he agreed to get sutured and went to get registered at 6.18pm.”

The RMO said that following the registration, Chauhan was taken for an X-ray at 6.38 pm and was wheeled in for the sutures at 6.45 pm. During all this, he was conscious and able to walk. “At around 7 pm, his condition deteriorated and he started convulsing. The doctors tried to stabilise him and stop his convulsions, giving him a loading dose, but he died by 8.50 pm,” said the RMO.

While Chauhan’s treatment was on, a mob comprising his family, friends and other Class IV workers, as well as residents living on the hospital premises, had begun to gather at the hospital and hinder treatment. They did not let Chauhan be moved or taken to the ICU, said the RMO.

“The mob had set its mind against the doctors in the casualty so much so that we feared for their safety and had them hidden by our security,” she said. The pillage exacerbated after his death, as the strength of the crowd went up to 200 to 250, refusing to let the body be sent for a postmortem.

The situation only began to get under control following the arrival of the police, JJ dean Pallavi Saple, director of medical education Dr Ajay Chandanwale, joint director Dr Vivek Pakhmode and MLA Rahul Narvekar.

To pacify the crowd, three doctors on duty—RMOs Dr Gokul Bhole and Dr Bhushan Wankhede and the casualty medical officer Dr Nabila Jabeen—were suspended. The mob then dispersed by 3.30 am. An inquiry team headed by Saple and comprising three HoDs from JJ Hospital, Dr Ajay Bhandarwar, Dr Vidya Nagar and Dr Bhalachandra Chiklakar, will look into the allegations of medical negligence.

The family was satisfied with the suspension of the doctors. “Why were only interns sent by the doctors in such a critical case?” asked Rajesh Nirmal Sarvan, Chauhan’s uncle. “We need nothing apart from these three doctors getting suspended so that this doesn’t happen with anyone else.”

Anil Shinde, from the St George Class IV Employees Union said, “The hospital shows no concern for workers; the doctor kept saying she would come and check Chauhan but two hours went by. We were wary, as three workers have died this way before, so the workers from the quarters reacted immediately.”

Responding to these claims, the RMO said that interns checked patients under the supervision of a doctor. Apart from the CMO, the surgery resident doctor was also treating Chauhan, who was suspected to be intoxicated. “Also, Solanki, the previous Class IV worker who died, ignored his symptoms of a heart attack and walked to and from Pandharpur despite advice to the contrary,” she said.

The family accepted Chauhan’s body by Thursday evening after a postmortem at JJ Hospital and conducted his funeral rites. Chauhan, 35, had begun working as a sweeper in the hospital around six months ago, taking over the job after his father’s retirement.

The incident comes against the backdrop of a severe shortage in Class IV workers at the hospital, who are currently at half their strength. Shinde echoed this, saying only one sweeper was kept for an entire ward at times. The RMO added that the positions of those who retired were not filled easily.

A sweeper at St George’s Dental Hospital shared his experience of working under such stressful conditions. “We are sometimes not given the leave we ask for because they do not have enough staff,” he said. “They keep threatening us, saying if we don’t work properly, we will be fired. We are merely cleaners of this hospital. If our jobs are taken away, where do we go?”

Deputy commissioner of police, Zone 1, Pravin Mundhe said, “An inquiry is on and a board has to certify medical negligence. We have registered a case of accidental death.”

Speaker and local MLA Rahul Narwekar said that the deceased’s family had alleged delay in treatment. “I have heard of some complaints of delay and lapses so far in other cases too,” he said. “More attention needs to be given. I have ordered an inquiry.”

Narwekar sympathised with the relatives and other staffers and said that they were only expressing their grievance. Sources said that Narwekar told the medical education department to submit a list of deficiencies and shortages at the hospital next week for him to review.