Kandivli: 60-year-old man dies in hospital due to serious medical negligence

A serious case of alleged medical negligence has surfaced at the governmentrun Shatabdi Hospital in Kandivli where a 60yearold deaf and mute patient Ramdas Ambekar died after suffering severe injuries from a fall in the hospital bathroom The incident occurred shortly after his admission on the night of April 13 for breathing difficultiesHe was scheduled to undergo surgery on May 21 but passed away the day before on May 20 at 445 pm According to sources Ambekar sustained a deep head injury a spinal fracture near the waist and a dislocated leg due to the fall Although he remained hospitalised for over a month his family claims he was not given timely or appropriate treatmentFamily alleges negligenceAmbekar a resident of Malwani in Malad lived with his differentlyabled wife daughter soninlaw and grandchild His daughter Sakshi Ambekar works in the private sector while her husband is a transport driver On April 13 Ambekar complained of breathing problems With Sakshi and her husband away at the time neighbours rushed him to Shatabdi Hospital where the onduty medical officer admitted him due to the seriousness of his condition Sakshi informed by neighbours reached the hospital immediately and later informed her husband who was in SolapurSakshi AmbekarldquoMy father was admitted to the menrsquos ward Since no male family member could hear or speak I requested the doctors to allow me to stay with him but they refusedrdquo said Sakshi ldquoLater when I inquired about his condition the doctor told me he was stable Like other patients relatives I waited outside in the passage Around 430 am the doctor called me and informed me that my father had fallen in the bathroom and sustained injuries He even scolded me for not being with him I reminded him that I had requested to stay but was deniedrdquo she addedShe alleged that after the fall her father was bleeding from the head and was placed on a ventilator with only cotton applied to the wound initially ldquoThe doctors didnrsquot stitch the wound immediately because no staff was available to clean his hair It was only around 11 am when the cleaning staff arrived that his hair was cleaned and stitches were administeredrdquo she claimedRefused written referralldquoTo my shock a doctor later suggested we shift my father to a betterequipped hospital as Shatabdi lacked modern facilities I asked for a written referral and the necessary documents to transfer him to Nair Hospital The doctor refused and instead told me to write a note stating I was taking him at my own riskrdquo Sakshi recountedFrom left NGO activist Shyam Jhalke Sakshirsquos husband Abdul Kadir and Sakshi AmbekarShe also stated that the Kandivli police contacted her and asked her to sign a document ldquoI accused the hospital of negligence but they did not take my statement seriouslyrdquoLater she approached Shyam Jhalke founder of the Bahujan Injustice Atrocity Eradication Action Committee who intervened and spoke with both hospital authorities and the police On the advice of a senior officer Sakshi filed a written complaint on April 18 demanding action against the hospital However no action has been taken to dateDelayed treatmentldquoMy father received no treatment initially It was only after pressure from Shyam Jhalke Sahab that the doctors conducted a CT scan and Xray which revealed a deep head injury and spinal fracturerdquo said SakshiFinancial strainThe hospital allegedly demanded Rs 22000 for surgery The family unable to afford the cost sought help Some supporters contributed a cheque of Rs 8000 in the hospitalrsquos name Despite arrangements being made for the surgery scheduled the next day Wednesday Ambekar passed away the night beforeScreenshot of NGO activist Shyam Jhalke chatting with a medical officer at Shatabdi Hospital PicsBy Special ArrangementldquoIf the hospital had referred him to a betterequipped facility like Nair in time my father might still be alive Shatabdi Hospital is responsible for his death I demand that a case of medical negligence be filed and strict action taken against those responsiblerdquo Sakshi saidNGO demands actionldquoI have never seen such negligence in any other hospital as I witnessed at Shatabdirdquo said Shyam Jhalke ldquoI repeatedly called the medical officer and the Dean yet no one responded adequately It appears human life has no value in their eyes I will escalate this to higher authorities and ministers I demand that police take Sakshirsquos complaint seriously and file a case against the responsible doctors so that no one else suffers a fate like Ambekarrsquosrdquo he addedHospital respondsldquoThe patient was admitted in a breathless condition After initial stabilisation he sustained a hip fracture and head injury due to a fall in the bathroom Surgery for the fracture was delayed because doctors detected clotting in his skull Operating in such a condition could have been lifethreatening Therefore the medical team continued to monitor him closely Once he was deemed fit for surgery a date was scheduled However the patient faced shorteness of breath last night and passed awayrdquo said Dr Ajay Gupta Dean Shatabdi HospitalldquoThere are approximately 80 patients in the ward cared for by three ward boys along with nursing staff Many patients also have relatives staying with them I spoke to the staff and they informed me that no family member was present with this patient Whenever assistance was needed no one from the patientrsquos side was availableldquoItrsquos possible that after feeling slightly better the patient went to the bathroom without informing anyone which led to the unfortunate incidentrdquo When asked whether it was common practice for doctors to ask family members to shift critically ill patients without providing official referrals Dr Gupta said ldquoWe shift such patients to bigger hospitals on our ownrdquo He dismissed the familyrsquos allegations as ldquobaseless and not supported by 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