JHARSUGUDA: In a shocking incident, a 52-year-old woman continued to get ‘treatment’ at Jharsuguda district headquarters hospital (DHH) even after her death on Tuesday evening. Family members of the patient, identified as Arati Ghosh from the Brajarajnagar area, alleged that the woman died due to medical negligence and in order to suppress the matter, the hospital staff continued to treat her.
Arati was admitted to the DHH due to septicemia on June 17. On Tuesday, the hospital staff conducted blood tests of the woman but her family members were not apprised of the results. Though Arati’s condition deteriorated, the hospital staff reportedly neglected her. She was declared dead in the evening but the DHH staff allegedly put her on oxygen support.
Arati’s daughter said her mother’s condition worsened on Tuesday afternoon after she was administered an injection by a nurse. In the evening, she was supposed to be administered saline but the hospital staff forgot to do so. “When a doctor came to check her vitals at around 10 pm, we found her dead. We were busy completing formalities to take her body when some people noticed that the DHH staff had put an oxygen mask on her at around 11:30 pm,” she alleged.
As the incident drew strong criticism from the locals of Jharsuguda, Chief district medical officer (CDMO) Dolamani Patel said, “I was aware of the condition of the patient. She was suffering from several complications including diabetes and was brought to the DHH in a critical condition.”
Patel further said she was aware of the allegation against the DHH staff but its veracity is yet to be ascertained. Two senior officials of the hospital have been asked to conduct an inquiry into the matter. The exact details will come to the fore once the probe is over, the CDMO added.