SAMBALPUR: Family members of 24-year-old Sanket Sahoo, who reportedly died due to complications after a minor nasal surgery at VIMSAR in Burla, approached the Sambalpur collector on Friday alleging bias in the investigation of the Directorate of Medical Education and Training (DMET).
On Thursday, a team from the DMET led by director Dr Durga Madhab Satpathy visited VIMSAR for investigation and reportedly found no evidence of negligence in the youth’s treatment. Dr Satpathy said the inquiry found no deficiencies in the hospital’s sterilisation system, operation theatres or treatment facilities.
He said the patient had recovered well after surgery and was able to move around normally. He later developed diarrhoea and vomiting after consuming food brought from outside the hospital. Subsequently, his condition deteriorated, leading to kidney failure. Doctors had planned dialysis, but the family reportedly shifted him from the hospital before the procedure could be carried out.
Dr Satpathy said Sanket suffered from a hyper-immune syndrome and his death was not caused by a hospital-acquired infection. A comprehensive investigation is still underway and a detailed report will be submitted soon, he added.
However, Sanket’s mother Kajal Sahoo said, “We were neither informed about the DMET inquiry nor given an opportunity to present our side. If the doctors and hospital authorities have nothing to hide, why has the summary of my son’s treatment not been provided to us despite repeated requests? We cannot accept a one-sided inquiry. We want a transparent investigation that considers every aspect of the case.”
In absence of the collector, Sanket’s family members held discussion with additional district magistrate Sudhanshu Kumar Bhoi and submitted a memorandum, seeking a transparent and impartial investigation.