Patient dies after month-long treatment for brain stroke, hospital bills family Rs 9 lakh
Sudha Rao, 68, breathed her last on December 9 at Kokilaben Dhirubhai Ambani Hospital, following a one-and-half month long treatment after brain stroke. While her family doesn't blame the hospital for her death, they believe the hospital did not take proper care of her despite charging them Rs 9 lakh.
Rao's son Hemant has been doing the rounds of the police station and hospital seeking a medical investigation into her death. They even refused to take possession of the body for the final rites as they wanted the hospital to properly investigate her death. "We have been running from pillar to post so that the hospital can at least accept that there were lapses," says Pathik Muni, a relative of Rao.
"Three days after her admission, she was slated to be discharged. But I requested the hospital to keep her in general ward for a few days because travelling to her to the hospital for physiotherapy and dialysis on a daily basis would have been inconvenient for her. She was later shifted to the Intensive Care Unit after suffering from pulmonary oedema. It was from here on that the staff was careless in her treatment," Hemant said.
Hemant said Rao was put on a wrong diet plan by the dietician when she was in the ICU. "Her weight on the diet paper showed 90 kg, but her actual weight was 73 kg. We brought this to the doctors' attention and they agreed that 1,000 ml of water per day can be reduced from her liquid diet. It all led to fresh frozen plasma and blood transfusion," he said.
The hospital authorities did not respond to emails and calls by this correspondent.
DOCUMENTS SOUGHT
- Investigation report including X-ray, MRI, CT scan and other findings of the patient.
- Doctor's reports including daily notes of visits
- Diet chart
- List of medicines used and procedures done
THE CHARGES
- The patient was put on 2000ml/day liquid diet with her assumed weight of 90 kg when her real weight was 73 kg. It was later reduced to 1000 ml/day
- On December 4, the doctor prescribed vitamin K injection, which was given seven hours later.
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 "Kokilaben Dhirubhai Ambani Hospital")
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