Hospitals Deny Admission: Four doctors under Delhi Govt scanner after 47-year-old man succumbs to injuries

New Delhi: Following allegations that an accused patient succumbed to his injuries after being denied treatment at four government hospitals, the state health department has advised implementing disciplinary actions and issuing suspensions to the four doctors associated with Guru Tegh Bahadur (GTB) Hospital and Lok Nayak Hospital in connection with the case. 

The four doctors have been recommended for suspension after it was found that they allegedly denied treatment to the patient, even though there were beds available at the hospitals.

According to a senior health department official, the recommendation of the four doctors from the two hospitals will be sent to the National Capital Civil Services Authority (NCCSA) for further approval. Upon approval, appropriate action will be taken against the doctors.

Also read- Denied Treatment At 3 Govt Hospitals: Delhi Man Succumbs To Injuries, Health Minister Seeks Explanation

NCCSA is an administrative authority that manages the Civil Services in Delhi. The authority is a three-member committee including- the Chief Minister of Delhi, the Chief Secretary and the Principal Home Secretary.

As per an Indian Express news report, the incident has prompted the health department to take swift action against the management of the two hospitals. Censuring the hospitals, the department has directed the Chief Medical Officers (CMOs) concerned to submit a detailed report on the matter. 

The report is expected to include information on when the patient arrived at the hospital, the attending doctor, the patient's wait for treatment, CCTV footage, and the doctor allegedly responsible for denying treatment and admission.

Medical Dialogues team recently reported that the Delhi Health Minister Saurabh Bharadwaj on Wednesday said the city government asked for an explanation from three state-run hospitals regarding the allegations that he could have saved had the Dilli Ke Farishte scheme been functional. A 47-year-old man died of injuries he suffered after jumping out of a moving police van early on Wednesday, a senior officer said.

Pramod was arrested after a 21-year-old woman alleged that he had molested her in an inebriated state and was taken to four government hospitals by the police personnel due to the unavailability of beds or equipment at the facilities, he added.

The minister said that if the 'Farishte Dilli Ke' scheme had been fully functional, the man could have been taken to a nearby private hospital having the requisite medical services and there would have been fair chances of him surviving.

The patient was allegedly refused admission by three Delhi government hospitals namely GTB Hospital, JPC Hospital and Lok Nayak Hospital and one central government hospital, namely RML Hospital.

In addition, the health department also plans to escalate the issue further by informing the Delhi Medical Council (DMC) about the incident.

“The patient was first taken to JPC hospital where he was intubated and sent to GTB…GTB Hospital then sent him to LNJP….One of the hospitals refused to give the patient even a stretcher to lie on while waiting for a doctor. This is a basic facility one hospital has to provide in emergency cases…We also got information that the hospitals had vacant beds and despite that, they refused to admit the patient...Be it an accused or any other person, a hospital should provide treatment to people from any background…” said the source of the Daily. 

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