5 min readAhmedabadNov 22, 2024 11:45 AM IST
First published on: Nov 17, 2024 at 02:06 AM IST
Three days after three separate FIRs were filed against the four owners of Khyati Multispeciality Hospital over the deaths of two Pradhan Mantri Jan Aarogya Yojana – Mukhyamantri Amrutam (PMJAY-MA) beneficiaries following angioplasty, all four of them were yet to be traced by the Ahmedabad City Police on Saturday.
The Indian Express has also learnt that the state government is yet to appoint a panel of cardiologists to aid the police in investigating the charge of “attempt to commit culpable homicide” against the five accused.
While hunt is on for Chairman Kartik Jasu Patel, CEO Chirag Hirasingh Rajput, Director Rajshree Pradeep Kothari as well as Bariatric Surgeon Dr Sanjay Mulji Patolia, visiting cardiologist Dr Prashant Vazirani, who has also been booked, was arrested on Thursday. The five persons have been booked, in the FIRs filed on November 12, for culpable homicide not amounting to murder, attempt to commit culpable homicide, forgery, criminal conspiracy and cheating for allegedly abusing the national health insurance scheme by forging medical records of patients, conducting angiographies of 19 people and angioplasty of seven of them “unnecessarily and without informed consent”.
This was done following a free medical check-up the hospital conducted at the Borisana village of Mehsana on November 10, after which they had brought the victims to their Ahmedabad with the hospital promising detailed medical tests and treatment. Two men – Mahesh Girdhar Barot (52) and Nagar Moti Senma (75) — died following angioplasty on November 11.
The FIR filed at Vastrapur police station — on behalf of the state government and based on a report of a medical committee formed to initially investigate the matter — noted the discrepancies in the hospital medical records and the angiography CDs of the two deceased, thus enabling the filing of the FIR. However, the report does not delve into the cases of the five other patients who survived the surgery, which is important given the allegation of “attempt to commit culpable homicide” under which the five accused are also charged.
On Thursday, locals in Borisana village had gone up in arms, blocked the main road to Kadi and had marched to Kadi police station. They demanded that an FIR be filed on behalf of all the survivors as well, against the owners and doctor at Khyati Hospital for putting their lives in danger.
However, Kadi Inspector PL Vaghela said, “We explained to the villagers that the FIR filed by the government in Ahmedabad already mentions the section for attempt to commit culpable homicide against the five accused and so there was no need to file an additional FIR in that matter.” When asked about the investigation into justice for the survivors, a member of the medical committee, initially formed to probe the incident, on condition of anonymity, told The Indian Express, “The remit of our committee was to just examine the initial charges against the hospital and liability of the accused with regards to the deceased. A team of cardiologists is to be formed to help the police investigate this matter.”
The Indian Express reached out to Vastrapur PI LL Chavda, who is now investigating the entire case under the three FIRs. He said, “The state government will be forming a team of cardiologists who will help us in the investigation regarding the angiography CDs and the need for angioplasty surgeries conducted on the five survivors and two deceased. This team is yet to be formed but we expect it to be done soon.”
In a report on Saturday, The Indian Express highlighted that while several of the victims from Khyati Multispeciality Hospital have returned home, finally after days of agony and anger, others are still admitted to the public sector UN Mehta Institute of Cardiology and Research Centre (UNMICRC) in Ahmedabad. Some had to go to local hospitals after facing adverse effects of the trauma faced over this incident.
Meanwhile, the Gujarat State Branch of the Indian Medical Association (IMA) on Saturday issued a strong condemnation of the entire incident.
In a letter to Gujarat Health Minister Rushikesh Patel, the association said, “lMA Gujarat expresses its deepest condolences and strong condemnation of the tragic loss of lives at Khyati Hospital. This unfortunate incident is a grave concern and has deeply affected the medical fraternity and the public at large.
As an organisation dedicated to promoting ethical medical practices and community welfare, IMA Gujarat has been consistently engaged in various social initiatives for the betterment of society. We are disheartened by the occurrence of such grievous events, which tarnish the image of the medical profession and undermine public trust. In light of this tragedy, we urgently request the health department to thoroughly investigate the incident. “
Screengrab from the video that shows villagers protesting. 
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