After an enquiry by a panel of experts indicted the doctors of state-run Sushruta Trauma Centre for negligence causing deaths, the Delhi Police has now written to Medical Council of India (MCI) that they intend to arrest four doctors.
The enquiry by the Delhi Government-appointed panel has found that the incident, in which five patients, had died in the intensive care unit (ICU) of the Trauma Centre, occurred due to the gross negligence of the doctors posted there.
Police sources said that the North district police have sent a letter to the MCI asking it to grant permission to arrest the four doctors. The doctors have been identified as Dr Anshuman Kumar, medical officer (in-charge, repair and maintenance), Dr UC Verma, head of department (lNJP Hospital), Dr Bhawana Singh, senior resident doctor of Sushruta Trauma Centre (Anaesthesia) and Dr Ajeet, junior resident doctor (Anaesthesia).
The Delhi Police is going to slap charges of culpable homicide not amounting to murder under Section 304 of the IPC to the existing FIR lodged under Section 304A and 287 of the IPC against the company.
The Delhi Government had formed an enquiry committee under Special Secretary (Health) SB Shashank to look into the causes leading to the tragic death of five patients at the Sushruta Trauma Centre. A senior physician of the Guru Tegh Bahadur Hospital, Dr AK Sethi and Dr Deepak Tempe, the head of the Department of Anaesthesia at the GB Pant Hospital, were also appointed members of the inquiry committee.
Police sources said that the after the enquiry, experts found that three of gas compressors of three ICU ventilators were not functioning properly. The hospital administration was aware with this problem but they did not sort in out on time. “On the day of incident, Dr Bhawana Singh, senior resident doctor of the Department of Anaesthesia and another junior resident doctor of the same department, Dr Ajeet, were on duty in night. The alarm indicating oxygen supply shutdown went off at 6.40 am and the supply could not be restored for 30 minutes. However, there was a back up arrangement for oxygen supply but they did not act timely,” the sources added.
Police sources that the two contracts with the private company responsible for the central gas supply system had not been renewed even its expired in October 2011. “Three of the five ventilator systems in the ICU were malfunctioning over the past three months, but were not repaired but Dr Anshuman and it was his responsibility to look on the maintenance work.
The prolonged shutdown happened despite Dr UC Verma fully aware with the problem since it had been recurring for the past few days before the incident but the problem was not addressed by him,” the sources added.