BENGALURU: Following the death of a one-and-a-half year old boy due to an alleged delay in treatment at Nimhans, protests by the boy’s family members and ambulance drivers continued for the second day at the hospital on Thursday.
The protest went on till evening, as the parents were made to wait for more than 24 hours to receive the child’s body, after an autopsy. As they continued their protest with the body, demanding action against the hospital authorities and compensation, police intervened and allegedly forced them to take Ajay’s body, saying protests are allowed only at Freedom Park.
The grieving family said the baby could have been saved if he was admitted on time. Family members and ambulance drivers, protesting outside the emergency ward, alleged that the medical staff did not know Kannada and were proficient only in Hindi and English, because of which the family couldn’t communicate about the severity of Ajay’s situation.
The protesters demanded Rs 1 crore compensation for Ajay’s parents, and that a minister and local MLA must visit and address their concerns.
Siddapura police urged the family to call off the protest, citing inconvenience for other patients and vehicles. However, family members clarified that they weren’t protesting but only speaking against the negligence of Nimhans.
They also asked police to register a suo motu case against Nimhans, but police suggested they submit a memorandum to the Karnataka Medical Council (KMC), explaining their limitations.
The protesters alleged that doctors at Nimhans don’t treat patients who come from outside the city, and refer the patients to other hospitals. Often, they don’t even allow the ambulance to enter the hospital premises, a protester alleged.
In a clarification, Nimhans authorities stated that they did not receive prior communication from Hassan Institute of Medical Sciences (HIMS), nor did police inform them about the boy being transported via green corridor. They said the ambulance driver’s colleague had informed them only an hour prior to arrival.
Refuting claims of delaying treatment by 90 minutes, the institute stated that the family waited for 10 minutes and necessary procedures were started. A CT brain scan was done, which showed bilateral diffuse cerebral infarct, and multiple cranial fracture lines, and HRCT chest showed bilateral aspiration changes.
The family was informed about the poor prognosis based on clinical and radiological findings, and that the patient was unlikely to improve with treatment, along with unavailability of a ventilator bed, an official release stated.
Meanwhile, CM Siddaramaiah said he will take up the matter with the Nimhans director.