Gurgaon Police arrested two senior doctors of Fortis Memorial and Research Institute (FMRI)here on charges of negligence during treatment of a woman who had suffered a fatal cardiac arrest, an official said.
Cardiology consultant S S Murthy and emergency medical officer V Nagarraju were arrested by the Special Investigation Team of the police and produced before a civil court, which granted them bail but asked them to remain present during the next hearing in the case, the official said.
According to the charge-sheet filed in the case, Murthy had not given medicines to Seema Ghai, who was admitted to the hospital after suffering a cardiac arrest on May 12, 2017.
Medical Dialogues team had earlier reported about the case of deceased patient Seema Ghai, a 51-year-old Physiotherapist who was brought to the hospital on 12th May 2017 with complaints of chest pain around 1.35 am. An ECG was performed on her which showed abnormalities. Doctors informed her family that an Angiography shall be performed on her around 9 am in the morning.
However, during the night her condition kept on deteriorating and around 5 am in the morning, she was out on life support. The patient was finally declared dead around 9.48 am in the morning.
Accusing the doctors of negligence and in particular wasting the golden hour, her husband filed a complaint against the doctors and Fortis hospital with the police. A medical board was set up to initiate a probe and look into the allegations.
The medical board, in its report, held the chief cardiologist at the hospital Dr SS Murthy and the resident doctor Dr V Naga Raju prima facie responsible for "delay in proper treatment". In particular, the board held that the doctors did not administer anti-platelet treatment as per protocol. It is reported that later an angiography was performed on the patient that revealed 100% blockage in her left anterior descending artery.
The board held Dr Raju, the emergency duty doctor guilty on account of ignoring the report of the patient's cardiac enzymes that had apparently prescribed medicines to prevent a heart attack.during the probe the duty doctor admitted that he did not administer anti-platelets.
Dr Murthy in his defense stated that he had directed the resident cardiologist at the hospital to "provide all necessary treatment." around 2.15 am, but the board observed that proper treatment was not given, as revealed by the hospital records
"It appears during the investigation that doctors have not started the treatment of Ghai in the time leading to her death," the official mentioned in a fact-finding report.
The complaint in the matter was filed by Ghai's family against the doctors at Sushant Lok police station in May 2017.
The health department had formed a committee of three doctors to probe the case and they found the doctors to be negligent in performing their duty.
"The SIT arrested the two doctors on the basis of the medical committee report," the officer added.
An FMRI spokesperson said: "The matter is sub-judice. We are providing complete support to the authorities concerned."
Corrigendum: Medical Dialogues team had earlier misreported the name and designation of the medical officer Dr V Nagaraju in one its sentences as Dr V Nagarjuna, medical superintendent. MD team stands corrected on the same
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