After patient dies at Hindu Rao, violent clashes ensue
New Delhi: A violent clash broke out at the North MCD-run Hindu Rao Hospital on Friday evening after a 34-year-old patient admitted there succumbed to a heart attack with the deceased's family allegedly launching an assault on doctors thinking that the hospital was responsible for the death.
Sonu, the patient who died, was a rickshaw puller and lived in the slum colonies of the Malka Gunj area.
According to hospital authorities, attendants and loved ones of Sonu were in the hospital premises on Friday evening when he was brought into the Emergency ward. Doctors said he was provided with medication on the 2nd floor and was diagnosed with myocardial infarction, soon after which he collapsed.
"While doing the resuscitation we (doctors) obviously have to get on the bed to compress the chest. The patients' attendants saw that and thought we (doctors/nurses) were trying to kill the patient. They accused the medical staff of trying to break the patient's chest and kill him. The attendants got panicked when chest compressions were being administered, pushed their way in and stopped the CPR," Dr Abhimanyu Sardana, President of the Hindu Rao RDA said.
Dr Sardana said that the patient did not survive as he could not get the required medical attention. An ECG was done, which showed a flat line and soon after the patient was declared dead. When news of the patient's death spread, attendants and residents from nearby slum colonies started showing up at the hospital in large numbers and soon the crowd swelled to more than 15 people and allegedly started vandalising the medical emergency floor.
However, according to police officials, Sonu's family have now filed a complaint against hospital authorities, alleging that he died due to medical negligence of doctors at the hospital. Dr Sardana told Millennium Post that they had reached the police station late on Friday night to lodge their complaint as well. Till the time of writing, police sources confirmed no FIR had been registered in the incident.
"For the sake of safety, everyone rushed inside and locked the doors but the crowd broke the door and window glass panes, in an attempt to attack a senior resident. While the senior resident was able to escape to an interior ward, even though the crowd chased him till some distance, nurses, residents and other hospital staff on duty were physically assaulted and some sustained minor injuries/bruises, even as others were manhandled and pushed around", Dr Sardana said. Hospital bouncers were unable to contain the crowd. Notably, many residents working at Hindu Rao Hospital live in rental accommodations in the Malka Ganj area and were allegedly threatened to be beaten up by the crowd.
With inputs from Abhay singh