Inquiry ordered after elderly man forced to take ailing wife in hand cart from hospital

As the video of the troubling incident surfaced in which the distressed man was seen weeping, District Magistrate Avinash Singh on Sunday ordered an inquiry and promised strict action, saying insensitivity and negligence on hospital premises will not be tolerated.

In a case of medical apathy, an elderly man who had brought his ailing wife to the Bareilly district government hospital was allegedly forced to take her back in a hand-pulled cart after he was unable to secure treatment or an ambulance for her. As the video of the troubling incident surfaced in which the distressed man was seen weeping, District Magistrate Avinash Singh on Sunday ordered an inquiry and promised strict action, saying insensitivity and negligence on hospital premises will not be tolerated. Chief Medical Officer (CMO) Vishram Singh said that a show-cause notice has been issued to the doctor who allegedly referred the patient without ensuring adequate support. According to reports, the man had initially brought his wife to the hospital in an ambulance on Saturday. After waiting for hours without being attended to by doctors, he decided to leave. ''If there is no treatment, it is better to die at home,'' he was heard saying in the video. It is alleged that no vehicle was provided for their return, and the man was forced to place his semi-conscious wife on a cart to exit the premises. Taking cognisance of the matter, a three-member high-level inquiry committee was formed by the district magistrate. According to officials, the DM has directed ADM (City) Saurabh Dubey, ADM (FR) Santosh Kumar Singh and CMO Vishram Singh to submit a detailed investigation report within three days. ''Strict action will be taken against anyone found guilty. Insensitivity and negligence within hospital premises will not be tolerated under any circumstances,'' DM Singh said.