Noida: Action against 7 hospitals over pregnant woman's death in ambulance

Lapses have also been found on the part of two other state-run hospitals -- the ESIC in Noida and the Government Institute of Medical Sciences (GIMS) in Greater Noida, and private hospitals namely Shivalik, Sharda, Fortis and Max (in Ghaziabad), it said in a statement.Action has been recommended against the erring officers and staffers of the government hospitals, while an FIR is to be lodged against the private hospitals which made "excuses" of non-availability of beds to deny treatment to the woman, according to the statement.

The chief medical superintendent of the district hospital here has been shunted out and action ordered against a nurse and a ward staffer for laxity over the death of a pregnant woman in an ambulance last week, the Gautam Buddh Nagar administration said on Tuesday. Lapses have also been found on the part of two other state-run hospitals -- the ESIC in Noida and the Government Institute of Medical Sciences (GIMS) in Greater Noida, and private hospitals namely Shivalik, Sharda, Fortis and Max (in Ghaziabad), it said in a statement.

Action has been recommended against the erring officers and staffers of the government hospitals, while an FIR is to be lodged against the private hospitals which made "excuses" of non-availability of beds to deny treatment to the woman, according to the statement. Accompanied by her husband Vijender, eight-month pregnant Neelam (30) had died last Friday in an ambulance in Greater Noida after a frantic 13-hour hospital hunt failed to find her a bed as over half-a-dozen facilities, including three run by government, denied her treatment.

The incident brought to the fore the issue of medical negligence and unavailability of care during the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, even as politicians latched on to it to slam the BJP government in the state. The National Human Rights Commission on Monday had issued a notice to the UP government over media reports of alleged medical apathy to the pregnant woman. The district administration had ordered a probe into the case and appointed a two-member team with Additional District Magistrate M N Upadhyay and Chief Medical Officer Deepak Ohri in it.

"It has been found in the enquiry that if a patient is not getting treatment in the district hospital then they should be referred to a higher centre which has adequate facilities. In this case, the officials on duty did not inform the senior officers about referring the woman to another hospital and sent her away. Incidents like these are being reported frequently and the chief medical superintendent of the district hospital was asked to ensure proper action so that they do not repeat," the statement said.. "But since the medical superintendent did not take proper action such incidents kept repeating and more so during the COVID-19 pandemic. Keeping in mind the seriousness of the case in question and negligence shown, action is recommended against a nurse and a ward staffer of the district hospital while chief medical superintendent Dr Vandana Sharma should be transferred and a more qualified officer should replace her," it said.

The administration has written to the principal secretary (health) to the UP government, requesting action. The inquiry also found that private hospitals were contacted but they made "excuses" of unavailability of beds and turned away the patient, who died in absence of timely medical care, according to the statement.

"The inquiry found the officials and workers of the private hospitals who were on duty at the time of the incident guilty,” it said. The CMO has been directed to issue show cause notice to the private hospitals asking as to why action should not be taken against them. "A team of technical experts is to be formed in compliance of Supreme Court directions for cases like these and a first information report (FIR) be lodged in this case after due inspection,” the administration said. The inquiry also found "guilty" the officials on duty at the GIMS who had turned away the patient when they first approached the hospital after being referred from the ESIC facility in Noida.

"GIMS Director (R K Gupta) has been directed to take action against erring officials on priority,” it stated. During the probe, the role of a private hospital (Max) in Ghaziabad also came to light which too has been found negligent in its conduct. The Gautam Buddh Nagar administration has asked the Ghaziabad administration to take action against Max hospital, Vaishali, according to the statement..