Locals feel that this strict move by govt will lead to shortage of medical services
The recent decision of Delhi government cancelling the license of a private hospital over an alleged medical negligence has received a mixed response from the residents.
This is the first time that a big chain of private hospitals in the Capital has faced such action from the government. “There is zero tolerance for cases of criminal negligence. We will not accept any kind of lax attitude in dealing with the lives of patients,” Delhi Health Minister Satyendar Jain had said on Friday.
“The decision will set an example for other private hospitals who are overcharging the patients. Most the hospitals are just making money and not looking after the actual condition of the people coming to them. This practice must stop,” said Shiv Singh, a resident of Mukherjee Nagar.
After battling for life for five days, the premature baby died at a private clinic on Wednesday. The matter came to light last Friday, when the father of the twins, Ashish Kumar, who was on his way to the cremation ground, noticed that one of the polybags handed over to him by the doctors was moving.
A preliminary report submitted by a panel of doctors to Delhi government on Tuesday had found the hospital guilty of not having followed the prescribed medical norms in dealing with the newborns. The three-member panel prepared the report after scrutinising the hospital records and meeting with the staffers concerned. After the death of the second child, the investigation into the case was transferred from the northwest district police to the Crime Branch.
While some residents have applauded the government’s decision, few felt that shutting down an existing medical facility will not serve any purpose. “By cancelling the license of a private hospital means Delhities now have one less medical facility. Delhi is already struggling to meet the shortage of medical facilities. The government should ideally have taken over the administrative team just like they did it with the private schools,” said Vineet Sharma, a resident of Geeta colony.
The Delhi Medical Association (DMA) on Saturday termed the Delhi government’s move to cancel the license of Max Super Speciality hospital in Shalimar Bagh as “irrational and autocratic”. The doctors’ body said that the government should have waited for the report of the Delhi Medical Council (DMC) on the issue, which is expected in a few days. It said it will give a call for a strike if needed and will appeal to the government to revoke the licence cancellation decision.
TRACK RECORD
- The Delhi Medical Council in 2017 has received 23 complaints against Max hospitals in Delhi
- Six complaints were received against Max hospital in Shalimar Bagh
- The medical council in 2017 has received a total of 234 complaints against the various hospitals in the capital.
- Out of which, 82 have moved to the disciplinary committee for action.
EXPERT SPEAK
The decision will set an example for the other hospitals and nursing homes. All these private institutes will now be more vigilant in dealing with the sensitive cases. They will properly follow the Standard Operating Procedure (SOP) in all the cases. A life has been lost in this case. The baby survived for five more days in other private hospital. The hospital had registered the child as a stillbirth. When the baby was handed over to the patients, his heart was beating. We could not ignore the hospital in this case. This is a case of error of judgement where the hospital failed to understand the situation of the new born.”
—Dr Kirti Bhushan, director general of health services, Delhi government
VOICES
This is a wonderful step taken by the AAP government. No other government has ever taken such a bold step. These hospitals will now be very careful while dealing with the patients. There should be a legal framework to monitor the functioning of these hospitals.
—Akriti Singh
Last year, I took my father to a private hospital for a routine check-up and the hospital gave us a long list of the tests and asked us to get them done immediately. We were surprised after we saw the list and cost of the tests was going above Rs 40,000. We left the hospital and got the tests done from a government hospital.
—Saurbh Bhati
I feel that the government should not have closed the facility for the general public. Not all of us go to a government hospital for treatment. Many a times, these private hospitals come as a saviour.
—Sudhanyu Dimri
This is an extreme step taken by the government. It should have also thought about the large number of patients coming to the hospital on a regular basis. Before taking such a strong step, the government should have explored the other options as well.
—Vipin Mandal
Other hospitals should also learn lesson from this incident. This incident will act as a milestone in the history of medical negligence. The Kejriwal government has once again proved that they will not tolerate any kind of criminal negligence when it comes to education and health sector.
—Anil Kumar Dimri
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