BENGALURU: In June last year, 70-year-old Jayalakshmamma was admitted to Pan Nagarbhavi Hospital for kidney stone surgery. Before the surgery, the doctors did not remove her dentures, flouting protocol, which then got stuck in her throat. When she got worse, the hospital said she will not survive and discharged her.
The family took her to another private hospital where an ENT doctor removed the dentures from her throat. She lived with dentures in her throat for 20 days. If the Karnataka Private Medical Establishments (KPME) Act had been implemented in the state, a year after it was passed, the hospital would have lost its licence by now, Jayalakshmamma’s family says.
Questions were raised to Health Minister Shivananda Patil in the Assembly on Thursday as to why hospitals still don’t display rates of procedures as per the Act and why grievance redressal committees haven’t been constituted and no medical procedure costs been fixed. It is in the process, the minister replied. The KPME Bill was passed in the legislature in November last year, received the Governor’s assent in January this year and the gazette notification was issued in March.
Gangadhar E, 45, Jayalakshmamma’s son, said, “The report of the enquiry committee has found Pan Nagarbhavi Hospital guilty of medical negligence. The report was referred to the Institute of Nephro Urology for expert opinion.”
“The experts have also clearly stated that anesthesia protocol was not followed. Not only has an FIR been lodged in the case, but also the chargesheet following which the case has reached the court and three hearings have been held so far where none of the seven doctors named have come,” he added.
“Despite letters from the CM, Chief Secretary, and Principal Secretary to take action, the joint director in the Department has been willfully delaying. The licence of Pan Nagarbhavi Hospital should be cancelled immediately and disciplinary action should be taken against the officer for delaying action. Had the KPME Act been implemented, this could have been possible,” Gangadhar said.
Repeated calls by TNIE to top officials of the health department went unanswered. Karnataka Janarogya Chaluvali (KJC), which has been fighting at least five medical negligence cases, convener Akhila Vasan said, “The government has done zilch to implement the Act. Grievance redressal committees are not in place. None of the expert committees are in place. The health minister refuses to meet citizen groups.
We submitted a memorandum just two months back on October 17 too.”
PUBLIC DISPLAY
Private hospitals are mandated to display the following information: Patient Rights Charter
Internal grievance redressal mechanism with name and number of contact person
Display of charges of various services/ procedures