East Delhi hospital may face inquiry for ‘negligence’

Delhi government’s Dr Hedgewar Aarogya Sansthan Hospital in east Delhi may face an inquiry after it was found the hospital allegedly sent away a minor boy with a bullet in his head after giving first aid.

Delhi government’s Dr Hedgewar Aarogya Sansthan Hospital in east Delhi may face an inquiry after it was found the hospital allegedly sent away a minor boy with a bullet in his head after giving first aid.

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“As it was the closest government hospital, so we took him there. He was bleeding profusely from the right side of the head. But they just cleaned and stitched the wound,” said Sunil Bhargava, Nakul’s father.

After this, the boy (11) spent an agonising night in pain before his parents took him to a private hospital the next day. “We took him to a private hospital where a CT scan showed a small metallic substance in his head,” the father added. The bullet was lodged just above his right ear.

Protocol says the doctor examining the boy should not have sent him away without proper investigation. “If the CT scan facility was not available, an x-ray could have detected the presence of a metallic foreign body,” said a senior neurosurgeon at AIIMS.

Health minister Dr AK Walia said, “Bullet wounds are usually distinct and are hard to miss. I’ll find out from the doctor concerned how and what exactly happened in the boy’s case. An x-ray should have been conducted.”

The surgery blow by blow

“We have GTB Hospital in east Delhi where complicated cases are referred to in case the hospital is not able to handle it.”

When contacted, the hospital authorities feigned ignorance. “We do not have any entry of this boy in our records. The casualty medical officer has checked the records thoroughly but there is no information,” said a senior administrative official.

Meanwhile, the boy was operated upon and the bullet successfully removed at a local private hospital on Friday. “He is recovering well,” his father said.

Police said at the spot where the boy was hit, two CCTV cameras are installed at a nearby house but it had no footage.