35-year-old dies at private hospital, family alleges negligence

The family of a 35-year-old man who died late Thursday night at a private hospital in the city has alleged
negligence on the part of the hospital and demanded police investigation.

According to the family, Sunil Kumar Sharma, a resident of Basai, had complained of stomach pain on Thursday around 1 am and he went to Shri Balaji’s Multispecialty Hospital at Basai Chowk. He was administered an injection by a junior attendant after which he immediately felt short of breath and had severe itching, the family said.

“There was no doctor at the hospital at the time to treat him. Eventually, his blood pressure came down drastically,” said Manish Kumar, his brother, adding that the hospital then referred him to a larger hospital but he died on the way. According to the family, Sharma was the sole breadwinner in his family of four.

An FIR was registered at the Sector 10 police station on Friday under Section 304A (death by negligence) of the Indian Penal Code. The police said an investigation is currently underway.

However, the hospital denied any negligence. “The patient had come to us with shortness of breath and stomach pain. We admitted him to the ICU soon after as his condition deteriorated. An injection was administered to treat him but as his health kept deteriorating, we asked him to go to a larger hospital,” a spokesperson of the hospital said, adding that a doctor was present when the incident took place.