Ahmedabad: Even the greatest authors of science fiction would not have imagined a plot where a doctor diagnoses blockages in a person's heart merely by looking at his face. But doctors at Khyati Hospital allegedly made such claims before convincing people to undergo cardiac procedures at their Bodakdev facility. In all, five patients have reportedly died at the hospital following angioplasties. All of them were brought to the hospital through medical camps conducted at their villages.
Investigation into the two angioplasty deaths reported on Nov 11 led the cops to three more deaths documented over the past 18 months at the hospital – all the three patients were from Kadi. These accidental death cases were reported to Vastrapur police on Thursday.
In their statements to police, the relatives of the deceased alleged the doctors were unprofessional in their approach. According to the written statements, the examining doctor found blockage in the preliminary check-up without performing standard tests like ECG, 2D Echo or TMT. The doctors allegedly told the patients that a definitive diagnosis of a blockage in the heart was difficult without advanced diagnostic tests.
Jitendra Chavda, a resident of Khavad village in Kadi, said in his statement, "My father Mulji Chavda and mother Champa Chavda underwent medical check-up by a doctor from Khyati Hospital during a camp held at a school in the village on March 5. He saw my parents and after preliminary examination, suggested that there were blockages in the arteries of their heart." Mulji, who underwent angioplasty on March 6, died following complications at UN Mehta Hospital on March 23, 2023.
Similarly, 85-year-old Fataji Thakor died on Oct 15, just a day after his angioplasty at Khyati Hospital. Another victim, Ganpat Valand, succumbed on Nov 4 at UN Mehta Hospital following post-angioplasty complications.
In his statement to police, Fataji's grandson Suresh Thakor, a resident of Vaghroda village in Kadi, said, "My grandfather was diagnosed with heart issues and blockages during a medical camp held at the Vaghroda village primary school on Oct 10. He was advised angioplasty then. Later, on Oct 14, he went to Khyati Hospital in Bodakdev, where angioplasty was performed by Dr Prashant Vazirani. My grandfather died the next day."
In her statement to Vastrapur police, Ganpat Valand's wife Lakshmi, 65, said that he was diagnosed with blockage in the arteries during a camp at Vinayakpura village in Kadi taluka of Mehsana on Oct 6.
"Along with my husband, a woman named Kanchan Patel was also diagnosed with a blockage in her artery during examination. On Oct 7, the hospital authorities took Ganpat and Kanchan to their facility where they underwent angiography and angioplasty. As Ganpat's condition worsened, he was admitted to U N Mehta Hospital, where he died on Nov 4," according to her statement.
The hospital offered complimentary transport service to the victims. Their relatives alleged that unnecessary angioplasty procedures were conducted so the hospital could falsely claim benefits under the Pradhan Mantri Jan Arogya Yojana (PM-JAY).