The family members of the victim claimed that the expenses of the ambulance hired for ferrying the body from Chandigarh to Raebareli in Uttar Pradesh which came up to around Rs 27,000 — was paid for by the doctors of the dental hospital on Thursday. (Image source: Dr. Harvansh Singh Judge Institute of Dental Sciences and Hospital/Facebook)The 30-year-old woman — who died on Wednesday after being administered local anesthesia before a procedure at Dr Harvansh Singh Judge (HSJ) Institute of Dental Sciences and Hospital, Sector 25, Panjab University — had previously been denied treatment by doctors owing to high blood pressure on September 16.
The doctors then had asked the victim, Shrimati, to come back on September 21 (Wednesday) for the procedure.
Meanwhile, the family members of the woman took possession of her body on Thursday after their demand of legal action against negligence in the case was met and the police lodged a complaint at the Sector 24 police post. On Wednesday, a DDR had been lodged at Sector 11 police station.
Sooraj, husband of the victim, said, “On September 16, I had brought my wife to the dental hospital in Sector 25 for treatment. The doctors then had refused to treat her claiming that her blood pressure was too high. Doctors told me to bring my wife back on September 21. So I brought her back to the hospital on Wednesday. I do not know whether her blood pressure was checked or not. I was told by the doctors that she had complained of uneasiness and breathlessness after the local anesthesia was administered. I saw them put an oxygen mask on her face even as they told me to wait outside. Around 12.30 pm they informed me that my wife had passed away.”
He added that he had lodged a police complaint demanding a thorough probe in the death. “In my complaint I have stated that responsibility should be fixed for this negligence that claimed the life of my wife. Some of my relatives are planning to file another complaint at police headquarters, Sector 9,” Sooraj said.
A special panel of doctors on Thursday conducted an autopsy on the body of the woman around 1.30 pm. But, Shrimati’s family members declined to take the body until their police complaint was lodged. Sooraj along with his relatives later went to Sector 24 police post from GMSH-16 and lodged the complaint.
ASI Varinder Singh of Sector 24 police station said, “We have received the police complaint. The viscera samples of the body have been sent for forensic examination. The family have taken the body of the woman for cremation”.
Deshraj, the younger brother of Sooraj, said, “We should have lodged a police complaint on Wednesday only. The hospital management tried its best to hush up the matter”.
The police have already taken the Lignocaine and Adrenaline injection vials and syringe which were administered to the victim on Wednesday.
Contacted, Professor Hemant Batra, director principal of HSJ Institutes of Dental Sciences and Hospital, said, “I have given my comments on the incident already. I cannot make any more comments at the moment.”
‘Doctors tried to hush up matter, paid Rs 27,000 to ferry body’
The family members of the victim claimed that the expenses of the ambulance hired for ferrying the body from Chandigarh to Raebareli in Uttar Pradesh which came up to around Rs 27,000 — was paid for by the doctors of the dental hospital on Thursday. The family claimed that on Wednesday, the doctors had tried to hush up the matter, but someone from among them called the police control room and the matter was converted into a medico-legal report (MLR) case.
UT health dept says
Dr Suman Singh, director of health services of Chandigarh administration said that no statement or comment can be made regarding the cause of death till the autopsy and viscera reports had been received. “The forensic lab usually takes around two weeks for sending the reports. The cause of death can be ascertained only after the reports come. No committee that has been formed to probe the case yet and we have received no letter at our end. The case is now with the police,” said Singh.