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Gross negligence, poorly preserved platelets killed UP’s dengue patient: Probe
Prayagraj chief medical officer Dr Nanak Sharan said there was gross negligence in the treatment of the dengue patient, which led to his death. All doctors who were said to have treated the contractor told the probe panel that they didn’t treat him
PRAYAGRAJ: A 30-year-old contractor admitted to a private hospital for dengue died due to gross negligence and transfusion of “poorly preserved platelets” and not due to fake or contaminated platelets, an inquiry panel which investigated the man’s death has concluded.
The three-member probe committee set up by the Prayagraj district administration has also found negligence in the treatment of the patient at Global Hospital in Prayagraj following which he later died at another hospital, senior district administration officials said.
Officials have begun the process of permanently cancelling the registration of Global Hospital, another official said.
The probe panel also found that the patient was administered antibiotics without proper testing during treatment at the Global Hospital which further lowered his platelet count and contributed to his death, officials added.
There were earlier allegations that the patient was administered fake platelets that were mixed with fruit juice, particularly mosambi (sweet lime) juice.
Prayagraj district magistrate Sanjay Kumar Khatri said, “The inquiry committee has submitted its report. It has found that there was negligence in treatment of the dengue patient. The inquiry also found that the platelets transfused to the patient were poorly preserved and led to his death.”
The DM said Prayagraj chief medical officer Dr Nanak Saran has been instructed to take action against the hospital as per rules.
“The police, which is also probing the matter, will take their own action as per law,” he added.
Prayagraj chief medical officer Dr Nanak Sharan said gross negligence had been found in the treatment of the dengue patient, which led to his death.
“The treating doctors, whose names were shared by the hospital administration, at first did not appear before the probe panel and later everyone refused to have treated the patient. In this too, gross negligence of the hospital administration has come to the fore. Now the hospital’s registration is being cancelled permanently,” he said.
The patient, Pradeep Pandey, a contractor and resident of Bamrauli in Prayagraj, was admitted to Global Hospital on October 14.
He was transfused platelets, following which his condition deteriorated. He was shifted to another private hospital on October 17 where he died on October 19 morning.
Pradeep’s brother-in-law Saurabh Tripathi alleged that when the doctors told them that the patient needed platelets, the family members donated blood and arranged for the platelets from SRN Hospital blood bank which were given to Pradeep and he showed signs of improvement.
“However, five more units of platelets were demanded by the doctors and the Global Hospital staff then got us in touch with a man who arranged for five units of platelets for Pradeep at a cost of ₹25,000 charging ₹5,000 per unit on October 17. As soon as these were transfused to Pradeep, his condition had started deteriorating and he died despite being shifted to another hospital on October 19 morning,” Saurabh had claimed.
Prayagraj DM had ordered additional city magistrate (ACM) Saurabh Bhatt, additional CMO Dr Sunil Kumar and CO (Civil Lines) NN Singh to undertake a detailed probe into the matter.
At the same time, a unit of platelets was also sent to the SRN Hospital lab for examination as part of the probe. This unit was part of the five units procured for Pradeep but never transfused to him.
A first information report (FIR) was registered against doctors and staff of Global Hospital, besides one Satish Sahu and his father, at the Dhumanganj police station on October 21 based on the complaint of Pradeep Pandey’s wife Vaishnavi.
The FIR was registered under Indian Penal Code sections 419 (cheating by personation), 420 (cheating), 467 (forging document), 468 (forgery, intending that the forged document or electronic record shall be used for the purpose of cheating ), 471 (fraudulently or dishonestly using as genuine any document or electronic record knowing it to be forged), 274 (adulterating drug or any medical preparation), 304 (culpable homicide not amounting to murder) and 120-B (being party to a criminal conspiracy).
