FIR against Duty Doctor after patient dies allegedly due to lack of oxygen in ambulance

Ahmedabad: FIR has been registered by the local police against the duty doctor at Sola Civil Hospital, after the patient whom the doctor had transferred, died while being shifted to another hospital in an ambulance, allegedly due to lack of oxygen.  While the police do not know, which duty doctor had ordered the transfer of the patient, transfer form stated “PICU (Paediatric intensive care Unit)/ Isolation/ Ventilator care (paediatric) non-available” as the reason for transfer

Indian Express reports that two days ago, a 17-month-old boy had died reportedly because his empty oxygen cylinder was not replaced while being shifted to another hospital in an ambulance .Conceding that the boy’s oxygen cylinder was not changed, Dr H K Bhavsar, medical superintendent of Sola Civil Hospital told Indian Express, "According to our information, the child was being transferred from one hospital to another as his condition was bad. He was being transferred in an ambulance or ICU on wheels. Along with the boy was the oxygen cylinder on which he was since the morning. The staff did not shift him to the oxygen cylinder in an ambulance. There was one intern doctor, a driver and a conductor in the ambulance.” When asked the name of the doctor on duty Dr Bhavsar said, “Will give more details as soon as we hear from the investigation committee.”

Stating that the reason for the transfer was “written wrong,” the police have now registered a case against the duty doctor on charges of negligence.

“The reason for the transfer was written wrong. All the cylinders have enough oxygen. A team of senior doctors had checked the cylinders on August 15. We will be issuing a show-cause notice to Dr Mitesh Ramwani, senior resident, who had filled the form,” Punamchand Parmar, Additional Chief Secretary, Health and Family Welfare Department, told The Indian Express. However, it is still not been confirmed whether Ramwani was the duty doctor that had transferred the patient.

M L Rajput, the police official investigating the case, said: “There are names of many doctors and we do not know who was the doctor on duty… We will go to the hospital tomorrow and find out more details.”