Max Hospital in soup again, kin say stents put in patient without permission

The family of a 58-year-old heart patient, who died in the Max Hospital, Shalimar Bagh, on December 25, has accused the hospital of negligence, a charge that the upscale facility has denied. The family said they will approach Union health minister JP Nadda on Thursday.

Earlier on December 8, the Delhi government had cancelled the hospital branch's license in another case of negligence. The services, however, resumed 10 days later, after the Finance Commissioner stayed the state government's order.

"We will try to reach out to health minister J P Nadda and the chief medical officer of Delhi on Thursday. We want justice. My father was on his feet when he visited the hospital on December 25. He was sweating, so they took him to the emergency ward and an ECG test was conducted. The test revealed that he had blockage in his arteries," said Sarika, 35, daughter of the deceased Kamlesh Chander.

According to the family, the doctors inserted a stent in Chander's body without informing them. They also said that a senior doctor was supposed to operate upon him but instead a junior doctor performed the surgery.

"Even as we were discussing the matter, they came and informed us that stents have been put in his body. They did that without even asking us. Also, the doctor under whose supervision my father was admitted was on leave. A few hours later, my father died. This is fraud and negligence. We demand justice. We are waiting for the autopsy and after that we will organise the funeral," she said.

The family further stated that the hospital gave them a bill of Rs 3 lakh. A police officer said inquest proceedings under section 174 of the CrPC has been initiated,

The hospital, however, denied the allegations. "The patient was brought to the emergency (ward) in the afternoon of December 25, complaining of chest pain and breathlessness. There was blockage in three major arteries. The patient was 58 years old and had a history of diabetes, hypertension, and smoking," the hospital said in its statement. It added: "The family was counselled by Dr Devendra Agarwal, who is a senior consultant and a well-qualified interventional cardiologist. The family was informed that Dr Navin Bhamri was on a leave. The family was fully informed about the diagnosis, the patient's condition, and the treatment plan at various stages. The documents were signed by the family. Only one stent was used in the angioplasty procedure."

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