GURUGRAM: A four-member panel, probing the death of a seven-year-old girl at Gurugram's Fortis Hospital and the subsequent bill of almost Rs 16 lakh slapped on the parents, has found "irregularities" by the hospital, an informed source said on Wednesday.
The panel, headed by Haryana's Additional Director General of Health Rajeev Vadhera, was probing Fortis Memorial Research Institute (FMRI) in Gurugram charging the family of Delhi's Dwarka-based dengue patient the exorbitant amount for 15 days in the ICU.
Adya Singh had died while being shifted to Rockland Hospital.
Apart from Vadhera, other members of the panel are Director Health Aditya Chaudhary, Civil Surgeon Gurugram B.K. Rajora and Gurugram Deputy Commissioner Vinay Pratap Singh's representative Chinar Chahal, who is the CEO of Gurugram Zila Parishad.
"The inquiry into the case has been completed. We are finalizing the probe outcome after collecting documents, medical reports and statements of concerned. Prima facie, 'many irregularities' were found on the part of (FMRI)," one of the panel members, who did not wish to be named, told IANS.
The investigation board has been conducting marathon meetings in Chandigarh for the last three days since it was set up by the Haryana government on November 24 after the matter was highlighted by the media. It is supposed to submit its report by November 30.
Earlier, Union Health Minister J.P. Nadda had assured the bereaved family of action in the matter following an uproar on social media and the media.
Approached for comments, a Fortis Healthcare spokesperson told IANS : "As of now, we have nothing to say."
The Hospital had denied any wrongdoing, saying all standard medical protocols were followed in treating Adya Singh and all clinical guidelines were adhered to. In a "detailed clarification" submitted to the Health Minister, Fortis said it had charged Rs 15.79 lakh.
The matter came to light with a post on Twitter by the bereaved father's friend on November 17, recounting how the family was billed "Rs 18 lakh including for 2,700 gloves" but the girl could not still be saved.
The message was retweeted over 9,000 times over four days, prompting the Health Minister to assure action.
Adya, a Class 2 student, developed high fever on August 27. Her family said they had rushed her to Rockland Hospital in Dwarka two days later when the fever did not abate.
Tests confirmed she was suffering from dengue. However, her condition worsened and Rockland suggested she be transferred to another hospital. She was taken to Fortis, where she remained on life support for 10 days and Fortis billed the family heavily, including for 1,600 gloves, 660 syringes, high-end antibiotics and sugar strips, according to a family member.
"On September 14, when an MRI was finally conducted and it revealed extensive damage to the brain, the doctors gave up. We decided to then take her to another hospital but doctors refused to even facilitate an ambulance," the girl's father said in a statement.
Adya's father said her body had swollen up due to the illness and they asked the hospital to allow her to leave in the patient's gown. "They made us pay for that too. Adya was declared dead at Rockland Hospital at September 14-15 midnight."