PM regrets patient's death 'caused' by security

Prime Minister Manmohan Singh today wrote to the wife of a 32-year old kidney patient who died during his visit to PGIMER hospital in Chandigarh, expressing regret over the restrictions due to which the man could not get quick access for medical treatment.

Prime Minister Manmohan Singh on Wednesday wrote to the wife of a 32-year old kidney patient who died during his visit to PGIMER hospital at Chandigarh, expressing regret over the restrictions due to which the man could not get quick access for medical treatment.

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Taking note of public inconvenience caused due to VVIP security movements, Singh said he has issued instructions to ensure that the authorities were "more sensitive" to the concerns of the common man while making security arrangements.

In a letter to the wife of the deceased 32-year-old kidney patient, he said, "I am writing to you to express my profound sense of sadness at the death of your husband Shri Sumit Verma yesterday".

Verma's family claimed that they were shunted from one gate to another for two hours on Tuesday by the security personnel deployed for PM's security despite being told that the patient was in a critical condition. The hospital said he was brought dead to the emergency ward.

Observing that the patient could not get access to the Post Graduate Institute of Medical Education and Research in time because of the restrictions in place for his visit, the Prime Minister said "this is something I deeply regret". Singh was at the institute on the occasion of the annual convocation function.

"I have issued instructions so that in future authorities are more sensitive to the concerns of the common man while imposing such restrictions for reasons of security," he said.