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Youth dies, family alleges medical negligence at hospital; probe panel formed
Pune's health department has formed a probe panel after family alleges medical negligence led to the death of an 18-year-old with pneumonia at Aundh Hospital.
A day after the family of a now-deceased 18-year-old youth alleged medical negligence at Aundh District Hospital in Pune, the health department has appointed a three-member probe panel to investigate the circumstances surrounding his death, officials said.
According to a complaint submitted by the late youth’s family on Monday, March 9 to Pune district civil surgeon Dr Nagnath Yempalle, the deceased, Sanket Suryawanshi, a resident of Sangvi, was suffering from pneumonia and was brought to the hospital at around 11.30 pm on March 6 with severe breathing difficulty. His blood oxygen saturation level was reportedly between 60 and 70, indicating a critical condition.
The family alleged that despite the seriousness of his condition, the patient was admitted to the male medical ward instead of being shifted to the intensive care unit (ICU). In the complaint, the relatives said that doctors attended to him after a delay of 10 to 15 minutes and placed him on oxygen support.
The family further alleged that hospital staff initially said that ICU admission was not required. The patient was later taken for an X-ray but the family claimed that some staff members refused to assist them, stating it was not their responsibility.
According to the complaint, the patient’s condition remained stable until around 2.30 am after which, he reportedly began bleeding from the nose and his oxygen mask got filled with blood. The family said they repeatedly informed the doctor on duty and requested urgent medical attention.
A resident doctor later examined the patient and increased oxygen support, but the bleeding continued. The relatives alleged that despite repeated requests and the patient’s unstable pulse levels, he was shifted to the ICU only at around 6 am where doctors then began preparations to place him on a ventilator.
The sister of the deceased said that the patient’s condition further worsened and at around 9 am, the family informed the doctor that his heartbeat had stopped. Hospital staff subsequently conducted two ECG tests which reportedly showed a flat line after which, the patient was declared dead.
“The night shift staff and doctors are responsible for the death of my brother and action should be taken against them. Such emergency patients should either be given ICU beds immediately or referred to another hospital,” said the deceased’s sister, Sakshi Suryawanshi.
Following the incident, officials from the health department visited the hospital and constituted a three-member inquiry committee. The panel includes Dr Amit Lavekar, assistant civil surgeon, as chairperson; along with Dr Keshav Butte, anaesthetist; and Dr Amol Chandgude, physician. Officials said that the committee has been asked to investigate the circumstances surrounding the death and submit its report soon.
Dr Bhagwan Pawar, deputy director of health services for the Pune region, visited the hospital on Monday. “I discussed the case with the civil surgeon and the concerned hospital staff. The committee has been directed to complete the investigation and submit its report at the earliest. Further action will be taken based on the findings of the probe,” he said.
Meanwhile, Dr Yempalle said that he was out of town on official work when the incident occurred. “I was unaware of the issue. We are gathering details about the case, and the night duty staff has been called for discussion,” he said.
