BHUBANESWAR: A 70-year-old patient allegedly died by suicide while undergoing treatment at the All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS), Bhubaneswar in the wee hours of Tuesday, sparking concerns over safety and vigilance at the premier healthcare institution.
Sources said Dilip Sahoo, a native of Atalpur in Jajpur district, was found hanging from a ceiling fan of the IPD ward no D5 in the orthopaedic department at about 1.15 am. An on-duty nursing officer and a relative of another patient spotted Sahoo hanging from the fan.
Police suspect Sahoo took the drastic step when the nursing officers, attendants and other medical staff were asleep. “The patient’s attendant, his daughter, was also absent when the incident took place. The in-charge nursing staff informed the control room, police, head of the department and the attendant. The body was brought down at 1.59 am in front of his daughter, police, doctors and staff of the department,” AIIMS said in a statement.
Sahoo was admitted to the hospital on December 5 for osteoarthritis of knee. He was planned for knee replacement on December 10 after evaluation of all his comorbidities. The patient had a fever on December 9 and subsequently, he developed haematuria (blood in urine), for which he was under the treatment of a urologist.
His planned knee replacement surgery was, however, postponed due to his comorbidities following which the doctors advised him to get discharged by Monday and stay in Dharmasala until he is recovered. Accordingly, his daughter also booked a room. But he could not be discharged due to delay in clearances from departments.
“My father looked worried the whole day seeing me running from pillar to post to get the discharge papers ready. I last visited him at about 10 pm and left for Dharmasala as the staff assured to look after him. But I never expected that the staff would fall asleep. Earlier, I had lost my mother and now I lost my father due to the carelessness of the AIIMS staff,” Sahoo’s daughter told mediapersons.
Although the circumstances surrounding the alleged suicide remain unclear, it raises questions about the safety and security of patients, particularly those undergoing prolonged treatment. AIIMS authorities have ordered a probe into the potential lapses.
AIIMS executive director Dr Ashutosh Biswas has formed a committee to investigate the incident, specifically looking into the role of on-duty nursing officers, attendants, and overall patient monitoring protocols.
Bhubaneswar DCP Pinak Mishra ruled out any foul play and said the case is under investigation.