GANGTOK, 06 Feb:
The Medical Superintendent, STNM Hospital, Dr. Yogesh Verma has clarified the
hospital’s stand on the recent incident in which family members of a deceased 27-year-old
youth from West Pendam were allegedly forced to remove the dead body out of the
hospital complex on the night of 03 February.
Speaking to NOW! today, Dr. Verma, while detailing the
series of events, also contended that some “ill-informed” individuals had given
a different “twist” to the entire episode.
According to the MS, the patient was brought to the
emergency ward of the hospital on 03 February with liver complications. At
around 8 pm the patient passed away in the minor operation theatre at the
Trauma Centre. The dead body remained there until, at around 9:30 pm the doctor
on duty received new emergency cases that needed immediate treatment in the
minor OT. The dead body of the youth was removed from the OT and kept in the
narrow passage of the trauma ward.
The Medical Superintendent further added that it was not the
hospital administration that asked the family to remove the dead body from the
trauma centre initially but other in-patients at the emergency ward who
disapproved of the body being kept in the passageway.
“It was the other patients and their families who asked the
family to remove the body from the passage after which an altercation ensued between
the patient parties and the party of the deceased. It was then that the
hospital authorities had to intervene and remove the dead body from the
corridor in the presence of police personnel who were witness to the entire
episode,” stated Dr. Verma.
He added that the hospital administration had also given the
deceased’s family the option to take the body to the mortuary where there were
provisions for keeping the same or take the body home. It was said that none of
the options was taken by the deceased’s family and instead the commotion at the
hospital continued till 11 pm when the family ultimately agreed to take the
body home.
“We gave them an option for convenience which they refused
to take and now we hear of such allegations. The other in-patients who demanded
that the body be removed from the passageway were also entitled to do so as it
is not advisable to keep a dead body next to other patients for long periods.
The presence of the body had discomforted the entire trauma ward which is why
this had to be done as per the rules and regulations,” he clarified.
In a detailed press communiqué issued later this evening,
the MS adds that the patient party had initially, while turning down the offer
to shift the body into the mortuary, said they would be leaving in 15-20
minutes. Also, when they did eventually leave, they even thanked the doctor when
they came back to give the stretcher, the release details.
“Looking into the explanation and the version, the
undersigned is of the opinion that at no point of time was the patient made to
remove the body immediately. In fact the body was kept in the premises within
the Emergency of the hospital from 8:00 PM to 11:00 PM. The hospital Emergency
is extremely busy and at all times there is an acute shortage of space. In
spite of these constraints and compelling needs of other patients the dead body
was accommodated in the Emergency for three hours,” the Medical Superintendent
goes on to detail.
“The hospital staff at no time had any arguments with the
patient party but there were arguments between two groups of patient relatives
for reasons mentioned above,” he reiterates.
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