‘Docs treated wife even after she died’

A 55-year-old trader has accused a private hospital of pretending to treat his wife even after her death on March 6 and declaring her dead only on April 1 this year. He has also accused the hospital of generating an inflated bill of Rs 31lakh for treatment of swine flu. Acting on the application filed, the Ahmedabad district and rural court has ordered the Sola High Court police station to file an FIR against the hospital and six doctors who treated the patient for 43 days.

The court has also asked the police to file a report in this matter by October 15, after taking help of expert doctors and Forensic Science Laboratory officials. The hospital has denied the allegations levelled against it. Complainant Kashyap Kotak, a resident of Bodakdev, said in the application that his wife Vandana was admitted to CIMS Hospital on February 20 and was diagnosed with swine flu. Dr Bhagyesh Shah and his team shifted her to the isolation ICU ward. She was declared dead on April 1 Kotak has alleged that the sole intent of the hospital was to make money out of her wife’s illness.

“My wife was not feeling well and I admitted her to CIMS hospital on doctor’s advice. She was diagnosed with swine flu and treated for 43 days. She actually died on March 6 but doctors continued to give her treatment and even transfused blood on a daily basis,” he alleged. “Since she was admitted in the ICU, the doctors didn’t allow us to meet her and misled us by giving one or other reasons. We blindly trusted them but they kept us in the dark. It’s a breach of trust,” he added. Kotak further said he had to sell off his house to pay for wife’s medical bills. “I, my 21-year-old son and 18-year- old daughter are heartbroken. My wife had become notary in March and was looking forward to do more in the legal profession,” he said.

Kotak’s counsel Bharat Dave said it is a case of causing death by negligence. The court application names Dr Bhagyesh Shah, Dr Nilesh Shah, cardiac surgeon Dr Dhaval Nayak, Directors Dr Sanjay Shah and Dr Anish Chandarana as the accused.

Hospital denies allegations 
Denying the allegations in a statement, the hospital said: “The patient, Ms Vandana Kotak, was admitted on February 20, 2017 with a serious and critical condition of swine flu. The patient was diagnosed and managed according to all medical processes and protocols by a skilled team of doctors. “The patient was kept on ventilator, ECMO (extra corporeal membrane oxygenation) and other life support systems under guidance of the expert team.

The relatives of the patient were intimated and counseled time and again on a daily basis during the course of hospitalisation and they were fully aware of the patient’s condition. However, despite battling with the patient’s critical condition for about 40 days, she unfortunately passed away on April 1, 2017. “The Hospital had used best possible knowledge, skill and resources to provide high standard quality of care. There has been no negligence on the part of doctors or the hospital during delivery of care.”