Action taken against Amethi's Sanjay Gandhi Hospital after probe, says Dy CM Pathak

Action taken against Amethi's Sanjay Gandhi Hospital after probe, says Dy CM Pathak

A day after the Congress demanded revocation of Sanjay Gandhi Hospital's licence suspension, Uttar Pradesh Deputy Chief Minister Brajesh Pathak on Thursday said the step was taken after a probe in the death of a woman. Congress leader Sonia Gandhi is the chairperson of the Sanjay Gandhi Memorial Trust New Delhi which runs the Amethi hospital, while party leaders Rahul Gandhi and Priyanka Gandhi are the members of the trust.

Pathak said action would be taken against all the hospitals, which are functioning illegally or found of negligence in treating the patients. Uttar Pradesh Congress chief Ajay Rai had on Wednesday requested Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath to revoke the suspension of the hospital's licence in view of public interest saying it is causing inconvenience to people.

Rai, in a letter to Adityanath, said the hospital provided health care facilities to people of the nearby areas on minimum charge and without any profit for the past few decades. The state health department had on September 18 suspended the Amethi hospital's licence and put a halt on its OPD and emergency services following a probe in the incident.

Pathak, who also holds the health portfolio, said, "The incident at Sanjay Gandhi Hospital is very saddening. A young woman had lost her life there. Action was taken against the hospital after a probe at the local level." The health department officials on Tuesday said on the directions of the deputy chief minister, a three-member team led by Additional CMO Dr Ram Prasad conducted a probe in the matter.

In its report, the department found laxity in the treatment given to Divya (22) and said the woman could have been saved if the specialist doctors had reached the hospital. On September 14, Divya was taken to the Sanjay Gandhi Hospital after she complained of a stomach ache. After examining her, the doctor suggested an operation to remove stones in her gallbladder.

The same day, she went into a coma before the operation and was kept at the hospital for over 30 hours before being referred to Lucknow, her family alleged. Divya died in Lucknow on September 16, said her husband Anuj Shukla alleging that she suffered a heart attack at the Amethi hospital.

"We are regularising all the hospitals in the state. Action will be taken against any hospital, which is running illegally and pushes the patients to untimely death due to negligence. Such hospitals will not be spared. This action is continuing in all the states," Pathak said. On September 17, a case was registered against the hospital's CEO Awadhesh Sharma, general surgeon Dr Mohammad Raja, anaesthesia specialist Dr Siddiqui and physician Dr Shubham Dwivedi under section 304A (causing death by negligence) of the Indian Penal Code at the Munshiganj police station over the woman's death.

"On the basis of shortcomings found in the preliminary investigation, orders have been given to issue a notice to the hospital administration for seeking a clarification under the Clinical Act," Pathak had said.