Patient dies at Birla Hospital,family alleges delay in treatment

Javed Mujawar (28) said his father felt uneasy and was sweating profusely around 11 am on Monday. “We immediately took him to a local doctor who told us that he had suffered a heart attack. We rushed him to Birla Hospital where instead of admitting the serious patient,we were told to first go to the OPD,” he said.

Kannan Nambiar,a family friend,said crucial hours were lost in getting the case papers and the patient examined at the OPD. “It was only around 1.10 pm that a doctor examined the patient and said there was no problem.” However,the patient again felt uneasy around 2 pm and only then was admitted to the ICU. The family faced another problem. “We were told to pay Rs 25,000 immediately so that the treatment could be started. We paid Rs 12,000 and requested them to start the treatment promising full payment next morning. After much argument,the treatment was started,” alleged Nambiar. The patient,however,died around 7.30 am on Tuesday,sparking protests from the relatives.

Rekha Dubey,senior general manager (operations),Birla Hospital,said there was no delay in treating the patient. “The treatment by a cardiologist was started as soon as the patient was admitted. The patient was suffering from severe constipation. The moment he went to the toilet he suffered an attack,” she said. Dubey said the body was handed over as per normal hospital procedure. “After the patient’s relatives paid the hospital bill,we handed over the body,” she said. She denied the charge that they refused to hand over the body for many hours.

G S Madgulkar,senior police inspector,Hinjewadi police station,said,“We have received a complaint from the patient’s family. We will investigate into the matter,” he said.