GMC Nagpur Dean, 10 Doctors Booked under IPC 304A for Death of Patient in 2019

Nagpur: Around five years after the death of a woman patient, who was suffering from thyroid complications, the Dean of the Government Medical College and Hospital (GMCH) Nagpur and ten other doctors have been booked for alleged medical negligence while conducting surgery on the patient.

An official informed PTI on Thursday that a First Information Report was registered at Ajni police station against Dean and others following the sessions court’s order. 

The cause of death was initially stated to be cardiac arrest, but an inquiry committee later blamed medical negligence, as per the complaint. Patole then applied to the court, seeking an order from the police to investigate the matter. Following the Court's order, an FIR was registered under IPC section 304 (a) (causing death by negligence). However, no arrests have been made in this connection yet.

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As per the latest media report by Hindustan Times, police informed that the wife of the complainant, a retired superintendent of the district court, and first cousin of State Congress president Nana Patole, was admitted to the hospital for thyroid complications. Back then, a team of doctors led by the present dean, the head of the surgery department at that time, performed a cosmetic thyroid surgery on the patient.

However, after the surgery on July 6, 2019, the health of the patient deteriorated rapidly after surgery, leading to her death. Consequently, the medical staff were accused of alleged medical negligence and misconduct. The complainant (patient's husband) claimed that the doctors concealed the true cause of death. The complaint stated that even though initially the cause of death was said to be cardiac arrest, an inquiry committee later blamed medical negligence. 

Allegedly, despite his attempts to lodge a complaint, the police did not register an FIR. Thereafter, he sought court intervention to book the doctors involved in the matter. 

On the other hand, the Dean, who performed the surgery back then, stated that the standard medical protocol was maintained during the surgery of the concerned patient at the hospital in 2019. 

Apart from the Dean, the police also booked eight teachers of medical college and two resident doctors. Commenting on the matter, the complainant told Hindustan Times, "I met the local police to seek justice for my wife and they took the case lightly. I then approached the commissioner of police, twice but to no avail. This led me to approach the court of an additional chief judicial magistrate for an intervention into the matter."

The police in charge of Ajni police station, Gajanan Tamte, informed HT that after getting the directives from the Court, the doctors were booked under section 304 (a) (causing death by negligence) of the Indian Penal Code.

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