Pune Police on Thursday issued notices to 11 doctors with the Rasiklal M Dhariwal Heartcare and Research Institute, who were booked on Wednesday for allegedly causing the death of a patient, Bhairavnath Dhalgade (34), in April 2018 by negligent handling of complications that arose during a surgery. Police said the notices had been dispatched to all the doctors who were booked, asking them to report to Wanowrie police station to record their statements within two days.
The case was registered by the patient’s wife, Sunita Bhairavnath Dhalgade, a resident of Osmanabad district. As per her complaint, leading cardiac surgeon Ranjit Jagtap and his team had operated upon her husband on April 14, 2018, for a defective cardiac valve. While she was initially told that the surgery was successful and Bhairavnath would be able to go home in a week, he had died three days after his surgery. Sunita (33) had approached police soon after, alleging that her husband’s death was caused by negligence on part of the surgeons.
According to the complaint, the patient was admitted to hospital on April 12, 2018, to be operated upon for his heart condition. Jagtap had advised the family that his team would go in for minimal invasive surgery instead of an open heart surgery, taking into account the young age and physique of the patient. On April 14, the surgery was performed and Sunita was informed by doctors that it was successful. However, only a few hours later, the surgeons informed her that due to some complications, they needed to perform a second surgery. After the surgery, Bhairavnath was kept in the Intensive Care Unit (on ventilator support and in a state of unconsciousness. He passed away on April 17.
“As the patient’s wife alleged that the death was caused by negligence on part of the doctor, the post-mortem on the body was performed in camera. Also, an expert committee from the Sassoon General Hospital submitted a report to us that the death was caused by alleged negligence in dealing with the complications that occurred during the first surgery. So, we have booked 11 doctors who were involved in the surgery under Section 304 (a) of Indian Penal Code for causing death by negligence,” said Inspector Sahebrao Bhapkar of the Wanworie police station.
Jagtap, the chief cardiac surgeon and medical director at the Rasiklal Dhariwal Heartcare and Research Institute, denied charges of medical negligence and raised doubts over the conclusions of the expert committee report of Sassoon General Hospital. “We had followed all procedures, like taking informed consent from the relatives of the patient and treating the complication that does arise after any major surgery,” said Jagtap.
“He had come in a critical condition and suffered from life threatening aortic valve stenosis. A minimally invasive surgery was performed, but soon after he was shifted out of the operation theatre, his blood pressure dropped and there was bleeding. Due to this complication, which does occur during a major surgery, his chest was opened through the sternum. The bleeding was tackled but he eventually succumbed to multi-organ failure,” he said.
Jagtap said he and the other doctors have denied all the charges against them and will approach the courts to defend themselves.
