GUWAHATI: Anamika Ray, an academician and mother of a three-year-old, died due to medical negligence at a Delhi hospital in 2015.
The incident prompted her husband, Ankuran Dutta of the Gauhati University, to lead a country-wide campaign against medical negligence. He founded the Dr Anamika Ray Memorial Trust, involving hundreds in the campaign against what he terms ‘medical terrorism’.
“Our goal is to have a separate law to regulate the medical profession. Another aim is to build a greater trust in the relationship between medical professionals and patients,” Dutta said. The Trust, which observes June 25 as Patients’ Rights Day, has brought out a draft on patients’ rights and responsibilities.
“Through our campaign, we have reached out to people at the grassroots.
Many doctors are also clandestinely supporting us. I receive at least two to three calls every day from victims, but I always urge them to carefully notice if the case is of medical error or negligence,” he insists.
Last month, the Delhi Medical Council (DMC) found two doctors guilty of negligence leading to the death of Dr Anamika Ray and directed that their names be removed from the State Medical Register for 15 days. But Dutta said he was unhappy with the action. He has filed a complaint demanding their life-long suspension and sought compensation which will be donated to the trust.