Death of 6-year-old: Hospitals pass the buck

PATNA: The administration of Patna Medical College and Hospital (PMCH) and Indira Gandhi Institute of Cardiology (IGIC) have started blame game over the death of six-year-old girl Pooja from Arwal at the IGIC on Thursday morning. Both the institutions are situated on the same campus.
IGIC director Dr S S Chatterjee denied the allegations made by the PMCH administration on Friday that he refused their request to conduct Echo test on the deceased on Wednesday night. “PMCH physician on duty had contacted me on Wednesday night and told me about the patient. I asked them to confirm the diagnosis of the suspected case of pericardial effusion through an ultrasound and to contact the doctor on duty at IGIC. I had also asked IGIC doctor on duty at the time to make arrangements for required diagnosis of the child, but the patient was never sent to IGIC on Wednesday night,” Dr Chatterjee told this newspaper on Saturday.

He emphasized that PMCH itself had a cardiology department where the Echo test could have been done. He said an internal inquiry has been initiated and corresponding report would be furnished by Tuesday in order “to ascertain the facts and to take measures to prevent such unfortunate incidence in future”.

PMCH principal Dr Vijay Kumar Gupta said they had irrefutable proof that the patient was sent to IGIC for Echo test but was referred back to PMCH without conducting the test on Wednesday night. “Our cardiology department is a small part of the medicine department, where we have only two cardiologists. We had sent the patient to IGIC as the condition of the girl was serious,” Dr Gupta explained.

Pooja was admitted to the PMCH paediatrics department on Wednesday evening and allegedly referred to IGIC the same night. Her relatives had accused the PMCH of negligence leading to her death at IGIC on Thursday morning.