Patient’s relatives assault two doctors, injure four cops with stones in Thane
Mumbai city news: The patient was suffering from TB and liver problems. He was feeling uneasy on Thursday evening and was rushed to Titan Hospital where he was declared brought dead. His relatives initially refused to accept this and demanded that a doctor check him again and keep him in the ICU.
Relatives of a patient allegedly manhandled two doctors and a beat marshal, and injured four police constables with stones at Titan Hospital, Thane, in the intervening night of Thursday and Friday. According to the police, 11 relatives of 48-year-old Vasu Dattappa Balgire had to be lathi-charged after they became belligerent and broke glass panes of the ICU doors. Three of them – Baba Pandurang Waghmare, 33; Sagar Asaram Gargade, 23; and Sairam Asaram Gargade, 24; were arrested while eight others are on the run. They have been charged with rioting and damaging property under the Indian Penal Code and the Maharashtra Medicare Service Persons and Medicare Service Institutions (Prevention of Violence and Damage or Loss to Property) Act, 2010.
The family is from Moses compound in Thane’s Kapurbawdi area. Balgire, who suffered from TB and liver problems because of his dependence on alcohol, had been undergoing treatment at Shivaji Hospital in Kalwa and was discharged on Thursday morning. By the evening, however, he began to feel uneasy and experienced chest pain. But by the time relatives brought him to Titan Hospital, he had died. His relatives initially refused to accept this and demanded that a doctor check him again and keep him in the ICU.
Dr Abrar Khan, director of Titan Hospital, said, “The doctor on duty checked the patient and declared him brought-dead, upon which his relatives started crying and forced the doctor to check him again and keep him in the ICU. Balgire had TB and suffered fits, for which he had undergone treatment at Shivaji Hospital for a week. On Thursday he started feeling uneasy and complained of chest pain. He was brought to Titan Hospital but died before he could be admitted.”
When his relatives demanded a death certificate, said Dr Mushraf Khan, 24, told them they would have to take Balgire’s body to Shivaji Hospital for the post-mortem and death certificate as doctors there were familiar with his medical history and line of treatment. “When we told them this, they became enraged and stated abusing us. We called the police but before they arrived, the group manhandled Dr Mushraf Khan and Dr Anil Patil. They then broke two glasses panels on the ICU doors with their hands. Many of them appeared to be drunk,” said Dr Khan. “They shouted ‘How could he have died? He was breathing at home!’ and began to blame the doctors for his death,” he added.
When the police arrived, they ordered the all relatives to exit the hospital as they were disturbing other patients. “As they were being taken out of the hospital they continued to abuse the doctors and assaulted a beat marshal. Later they threw stones at the police, injuring four constables. Soon more police were arrived and lathi-charged them to bring the situation under control. We arrested three relatives. They will be in police custody until June 2,” said the senior inspector at Chithalsar Manpada police station.
