Man dies waiting for treatment at MP hospital for 14 hours, alleges wife; probe ordered

A magisterial inquiry was ordered after the civil surgeon of Guna, 214km north of Bhopal, in his report submitted to the collector on Friday denied anyone from the hospital demanded any money from the man’s wife or that he was denied treatment.

A man died in the district hospital in Madhya Pradesh’s Guna after he had to allegedly wait for treatment for about 14 hours on Thursday as he did not have the money to pay for the patient slip, his wife has alleged, prompting the district collector to order a magisterial inquiry.

Sunil Dhakad, 22, died at about 8am on Thursday

The magisterial inquiry was ordered after the civil surgeon of Guna, 214km north of Bhopal, in his report submitted to the collector on Friday denied anyone from the hospital demanded any money from the man’s wife or that he was denied treatment.

Local media reported on Thursday that Aarti Rajak, 20, a resident of Shankar Colony in Ashok Nagar, the neighbouring district of Guna, reached the hospital with her husband Sunil Dhakad, 22, and their two-and-a-half-year-old child on Wednesday evening.

Rajak said while speaking to reporters she took her husband to Guna with the help of driver of a loading vehicle who didn’t charge any money from them. While her husband lay under a tree inside the hospital campus, she approached a counter for getting a patient slip to consult a doctor but the man sitting there demanded money.

She didn’t have enough money so she returned to take care of her husband and they spent the night under the tree. On Thursday morning, she again made an attempt to get a slip but another man at the counter said she would have to wait till the next counter opened.

Her husband died at about 8am on Thursday.

Kumar Purushottam, Guna’s collector, said on Friday he had ordered an inquiry on Thursday by Dr SK Shrivastava, the civil surgeon of the district hospital after he got to know that a man had died on the district hospital campus without treatment.

“In his eight-page report, the civil surgeon claimed that as per the CCTV footage the woman reached the hospital campus at 4am on Thursday and didn’t approach any hospital staff for any treatment. No money was demanded from her as, as per the state government’s order no fee is being charged by the hospital for the patient slip,” Purushottam said.

“The civil surgeon has also claimed in his report that the woman in her statement in the hospital admitted that she didn’t get inside the hospital campus and that as per statement recorded from the deceased’s friend Jameel Khan the deceased was suffering from tuberculosis and was liquor and drug addict,” he added.

The collector said when someone approached any hospital, it is the duty of the hospital staff to provide treatment to them and show sensitivity towards them.

“Hence, I have ordered a magisterial inquiry to be conducted by deputy collector Sonam Jain to look into the matter and if anyone is found responsible for dereliction of duty a strict action will be taken against him,” he said.

The woman, who returned to Ashok Nagar with her husband’s body, could not be reached for her comments.

(With input from Yogendra Loomba in Guna)