FIR filed against Dr Ghaisas in pregnant woman’s death case
FIR filed against Dr Sushrut Ghaisas who was associated with Deenanath hospital during the time when pregnant woman was allegedly denied admission and reportedly led to her death later
Pune: The Pune police on Saturday registered a first information report (FIR) against Dr Sushrut Ghaisas who was associated with Deenanath Mangeshkar Hospital (DMH) during the time when a 37-year-old pregnant woman was allegedly denied admission and reportedly led to her death later.
The FIR has been filed under Section 106(1) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS), pertaining to causing death by negligence not amounting to culpable homicide. Dr Ghaisas, who later resigned from DMH, has been named in the case following the revised report submitted by the expert committee of Sassoon General Hospital (SGH) and BJ Medical College (BJMC) to Pune police.
The committee’s revised findings were submitted to Alankar Police Station on Saturday, confirming medical negligence on the part of the treating doctor. The report submitted by the government hospital on Wednesday was sent back by the police with queries regarding the role of Dr Ghaisas. In response, the committee reassessed the case and provided a detailed report.
Sambhaji Kadam, deputy commissioner of police (zone III), said that as per the committee’s findings, negligence on the part of Dr Ghaisas has been established, following which the FIR was registered.
The incident took place on March 28 when Tanisha alias Ishwari Sushant Bhise, who was in labour, was reportedly denied emergency admission at DMH as her family could not immediately arrange a ₹10 lakh deposit. She was shifted to Surya Hospital in Wakad, where she delivered twin girls via caesarian-section the following day. Her condition deteriorated and was subsequently referred to Manipal Hospital in Baner, where she died on March 31.
Kadam stated that Bhise was kept in the assessment room at DMH for over four and a half hours without initiating treatment due to non-payment of deposit. The delay in medical intervention resulted in complications that eventually caused her death. The officer said that a notice will now be served to Dr Ghaisas and further action will be taken in accordance with procedure.
When asked about the hospital’s role, Kadam said that as per the government’s guidelines, all findings have been submitted to the committee formed by SGH. At this stage, the committee has specifically identified negligence on the part of the treating doctor, and the police action has been limited to him accordingly. A senior police officer said that as the offence carries a maximum punishment of five years, the legal provisions under the BNS do not mandate an arrest. The police have already recorded a detailed statement from Dr Ghaisas and verified all related documents. A chargesheet in the case will soon be filed, and a report will also be sent to the medical council for further departmental action.
The Pune police had approached SGH and BJMC on April 8 for an expert opinion on the case. A six-member expert panel, comprising the medical superintendent and heads of departments of medicine, obstetrics and gynaecology, and forensic medicine, was constituted to examine the matter. After the police raised further queries, the panel reconvened and reviewed all reports and documents on Friday and Saturday.
Dr Yallappa Jadhav, head, SGH committee, said the final revised report was sent to the police on Saturday evening. He stated that the committee gave an impartial opinion and identified those responsible. The report also pointed out that Indira IVF Centre should not have performed in vitro fertilisation on Bhise, considering her high-risk pregnancy. It noted that Surya Hospital should have referred her to a better-equipped facility, and that Manipal Hospital failed to conduct a mandatory postmortem examination following her death.
“The final report with specific questions and answers was sent on Saturday evening,” said Jadhav.
The SGH report has been supported by findings from the joint charity commissioner’s office and the PMC maternal death audit committee, both of which have submitted their reports to the state government. The five-member committee of the public health department had also submitted its preliminary report on April 5, recommending action against DMH for violating norms that bar charitable trust hospitals from demanding advance deposits in emergency cases.
Meanwhile, Amit Gorkhe, Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader and Member of Legislative Council (MLC), said, “We did not follow up the alleged medical negligence case to spread hatred against anyone, but to prevent such incident in the future.”
“Dr Ghaisas is guilty of demanding money,” he said.
“I will bear the expenses of the two girls. In fact, Mangeshkar hospital should also take responsibility,” he said.
On the possibility of legal action against the hospital, Gorkhe said, “If the hospital is found at fault, we will definitely make every effort to ensure a case is registered.”
