Sushruta deaths: 4 docs found liable yet to be arrested

On December 4, 2012, the five patients died in the ICU after oxygen supply to their ventilators stopped suddenly.

Initial findings revealed that the system had two sets of oxygen units consisting of 11 and 10 cylinders. When one set is finished, the other automatically resumes supply. But in this case, the technician was running one cylinder at a time which led to the malfunction.

An inquiry committee concluded that PES Installation PVT Ltd, the company in-charge of the operational management of central medical gas pipeline supply system (CGPLS), was responsible for the deaths. The committee also found that at the time of the incident, only one person was posted instead of two and that only one oxygen cylinder was operational instead of 10.

The person on duty was untrained and he did not respond to the drop in oxygen pressure in time, which contributed to the deaths.

Police said that following the arrest of three people another committee was set up. The committee found the four doctors responsible for the incident as well.
Police said they had written to the Delhi Medical Council detailing the roles of the four doctors in the incident.

“The DMC wrote back to us in September last year asking us to furnish a few more documents for their investigation. We submitted them in November last year. However, nothing was done after,” a senior police officer said.

Speaking to Newsline, Girish Tyagi, registrar of DMC, said, “We received a complaint from police seeking action against the four doctors. We wrote to the Delhi Police subsequently asking them to furnish a few more documents, which they did recently.
Accordingly, we set up an executive committee comprising experts. The committee decided to refer the matter to a disciplinary committee… We have also requested the four doctors to submit their statements to us and appear before the disciplinary committee. Based on the findings, action will be taken.”