Excelsior Correspondent
JAMMU, Dec 12: Massive protests broke out in the SMGS hospital this afternoon after one and a half year baby died waiting for surgery by the ENT doctors for a foreign body in her throat for four days as family members of the patients blamed none other but GMC Principal Dr Aniece Choudhary delaying the surgery despite calling them to his private clinic.
Named Baby, one and a half year old daughter of Amar Chand R/o Kala, Shikhli in Dessa area of Doda district, she was admitted in the SMGS hospital on December 8 after having swallowed a grain of maize. Initially, she was admitted in the Pediatrics Department where the doctors informed ENT specialists to immediately remove the foreign body.
Official sources said the ENT Registrar also spoke to Dr Aniece Choudhary, the Principal-cum-ENT Head of Department. Family members and attendants of the patient alleged that Dr Aniece Choudhary called them to his private clinic and charged Rs 250 as fee with a promise that the baby would be operated upon next day in the hospital. They said they continued to give telephonic calls to Dr Choudhary next day but he didn’t pick the phone.
“Neither the Principal nor any Consultant bothered to operate the poor child despite repeated requests by the family members to different doctors including the Principal-cum-HoD ENT Department. The child died waiting for surgery for four days this afternoon”, sources said.
The death led to spontaneous protests from family members of the child and other persons in the SMGS hospital with people directly blaming the GMC Principal for “killing of the child” and wanted that he should be booked on murder charges. They gheroed the SMGS hospital’s Police Post demanding registration of murder case against Dr Choudhary and others for keeping the one and a half year baby waiting for removal of foreign body for four days. The grain would have been removed with minor surgery (bronchoscopy), sources said, adding it would have hardly taken half an hour for the doctors to perform the procedure.
SMGS Deputy Medical Superintendent Dr Dara Singh tried to persuade the people but to no avail.
As massive protests threatened to aggravate the situation, Deputy Commissioner, Sanjeev Verma and senior officers of police rushed to the spot. The GMC Principal reached the spot later.
Mr Verma ordered magisterial inquiry into the negligent death, which would be conducted by Additional Deputy Commissioner, Jammu, RS Sharma. He ordered constitution of a Medical Board for conducting post-mortem of the child with videography.
Police have also initiated inquest proceedings in the case for further investigations.
Civil and police officers admitted that it was a clear case of negligent on part of the doctors, who didn’t bother to operate one and a half year old baby for four days, leading to her death.
Body of the child was handed over to her family members after post-mortem by a Board of Doctors with videography.
Principal, Government Medical College, Jammu, Dr. Aniece Chowdhary has directed the Heads of Department of Paediatrics and ENT to enquire into the death of a child undergoing treatment in Paediatrics Unit and submit a detailed report within three days for further action.
According to the order issued today, Dr. Parmod Kalsotra, Head of Unit 3rd, Department of ENT and Dr. Sanjeev Dingra, Head of Unit-I (b) Department of Paediatrics have been asked to enquire into the death of child admitted in Paediatrics Unit I (b) as a suspected case of foreign body inhalation on December 8, 2012 who after undergoing treatment expired today.
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