GUWAHATI: Anamika Ray had to her credit more than 10 books, 30 research papers, and some 100 articles in national and international platforms. This 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. Aiming to have better and transparent healthcare services in the country, he founded the Dr Anamika Ray Memorial Trust, successfully involving hundreds in the campaign against what he terms ‘medical terrorism’.
“Our basic goal is to have a separate law to regulate the medical profession. It is a daunting task but the movement is determined to succeed. Another aim is to build a greater and justified trust in the relationship between medical professionals and patients,” Dutta said.
Dutta banks on social media to reach out to people. The Trust, which observes June 25 as the Patients’ Rights Day, has come out with a draft on patients’ rights and responsibilities.
“Through our campaign, we have been able to reach out to people at the grassroots. Many doctors are also supporting us, though clandestinely. I receive at least two to three calls every day
from the victims.
It shows that they are increasingly becoming aware of their rights. But I always insist that we have to carefully notice if it is a case of medical error or negligence. If it is a judgmental error, we discourage pursuing it as doctors are also human beings,” he insists.
As far as the case regarding his wife’s death is concerned, last month the Delhi Medical Council (DMC) found two doctors guilty of negligence and directed their names be removed from the State Medical Register of the DMC for 15 days.
But Dutta said he is not happy with the action taken. He has filed a complaint with the Medical Council of India demanding their life-long suspension and sought compensation which will be donated to the Trust.