In Haryana’s Panipat town, committee to probe allegations of negligence against private hospital after patient’s death

Panipat: The Panipat civil surgeon on Wednesday set up a committee of three doctors to probe allegations of a man dying due to medical negligence at a private hospital on Jan 20.
The commitee was set up amid a cross-FIR being registered against the hospital and the family of the man.
The family of deceased Praveen (23) alleged that he had been experiencing numbness in his forelimbs and was admitted to the hospital on GT Road on Jan 17. However, the family claimed, the hospital staff carried out the wrong procedure on Praveen and he died after the treatment on Jan 20.
His relatives accused the doctors and hospital staff of operating on his brain instead of the affected areas, due to which he went into a coma and died. On the same day, Praveen's family protested in the hospital, accusing the doctors of negligence and wrong treatment. The protest took a violent turn by midnight, following which a team from the Sector 13-17 police station reached the spot. The police took the body and sent it to the Panipat civil hospital for postmortem.
Doctors handed over the body to the family after the postmortem for cremation. Naveen Kumar, Praveen's younger brother, said they were residents of Gadhi Sikandarpur village. "Praveen got married two years ago and was a taxi driver. He felt numbness in both his feet and hands on Dec 31, 2024, so he was admitted to a private hospital on Jan 17," he said.
He said a doctor conducted Praveen's MRI and informed them that there was water retention in his brain and the nerves were extremely weak. Naveen said, "The doctor then advised surgery. He performed the surgery on Praveen and told us he would gain consciousness after six hours. He didn't regain consciousness, so we inquired from the doctor the next day, and he said that it could take a few more days."
He said the doctor told them that Praveen went into a coma on Jan 19, so it would take at least 6-12 months for him to recover. "We were annoyed, so we forced the doctor to provide details about his condition, to which he responded that his condition was critical. The doctor told us that another Rs 40,000 per month would be required to admit Praveen in the hospital for treatment. We suspected that he died the same evening, but the doctors advised us to keep him on a ventilator. The doctor declared him dead on Jan 20 evening," he said.
On the other hand, the doctor who treated Praveen dismissed the allegations of negligence. "The patient was paralysed when he arrived. His nerves were damaged, and there was water in his brain. Praveen's paralytic condition at the age of 23 was shocking. It was an emergency situation, so the operation was the only possibility. There's no sign of carelessness in his treatment. The committee is investigating, and the truth will be out soon. The hospital didn't even charge them a penny," the doctor said.
Deputy superintendent of police Satish Vatsa said both side had filed complaints against each other. "We are probing the matter. Action will be taken as per law following the completion of the probe," he said.