25-year-old patient dies after transfer delay at Kanpur Medical College
Medical Negligence
Kanpur: A 25-year-old patient referred from Dehat Medical College to Kanpur’s LLR Hospital passed away on Saturday night after allegedly waiting for hours without proper transfer arrangements. Even after his death, his body remained on a bed in the emergency ward for nearly 11 hours, raising serious concerns over hospital protocols and accountability.
The deceased was referred to Lala Lajpat Rai (LLR) Hospital in Kanpur for advanced care, but was never transferred. He had been admitted to the emergency ward of Kanpur Dehat Medical College at 1:15 p.m. by two unidentified men who left immediately. At the time, he was semi-conscious and vomiting.
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According to news reports, on-duty doctor Dr. Manish examined the patient and referred him to LLR Hospital in Kanpur at 2:45 p.m., citing the need for advanced care. However, the patient was never shifted. Instead, he remained in the emergency ward at Kanpur Dehat Medical College until he was declared dead at 10 p.m.—more than 8 hours after the referral.
Despite the mortuary being adjacent to the emergency ward, his body was not moved until 9 a.m. the next day—a full 11 hours later—after the matter reached the District Magistrate.
According to hospital officials, the delay was caused by paperwork issues, the absence of an attendant, and a shortage of staff, as many employees were reportedly on leave due to an ongoing festival.
With no relatives present, the hospital contacted Akbarpur police, who arranged for a home guard. Although an ambulance was reportedly called, it never arrived, and no further attempts were made to shift the patient.
Inspector Satish Singh of Akbarpur Police Station noted that the initial patient admission form was incomplete, and a corrected version was only sent around 8 p.m. He also mentioned that the hospital reported many employees were on leave due to an ongoing festival.
Speaking to Hindustan Times, Chief Medical Superintendent (CMS) Dr Vandana Singh said that while the hospital had called for an ambulance, “The claim that it never arrived is incorrect.” She admitted that one ward boy and one sanitation worker were absent from duty that night, which delayed shifting the body.
She added that explanations had been sought and disciplinary action would follow.
Principal Dr Sajjan Lal Verma confirmed the patient died at 10.40 pm. “I have asked the CMS to submit a report specifying which doctors and staff were on duty and at what level the negligence occurred. Strict action will be taken,” he said, reports Hindustan Times.
On the night of the incident, the emergency ward was mainly staffed by junior personnel, including the on-duty doctor, a pharmacist, a ward boy, and two Class-IV employees.
District Magistrate Kapil Singh asserted that the arrangements in the hospital would be improved and that no negligence would be tolerated.
