Siliguri, Aug. 7: Stung by a slew of allegations of deaths caused by the alleged negligence of the medical fraternity, the district administration today swung into action and formed two committees to “inspect” private nursing homes in the trading hub.
The decision was taken at a meeting this evening presided over by urban development and municipal affairs minister Asok Bhattacharya, who is also the CPM legislator from Siliguri.
“While a team of medical experts from the health department will inspect all private nursing homes to ascertain if they are following the norms drawn up by the health directorate, another panel of doctors from the Indian Medical Association will make a separate visit to the clinics. The IMA’s primary aim would be to give lessons to the doctors and the para-medical staff at the nursing homes on people care,” Bhattacharya said.
The wake-up call came hours after the Darjeeling district health administration shut down Maya Sanyal’s Nursing Home, where three-and-a-half-year-old Mayukh Ghosh had been operated on for hernia. The doctors who carried out the operation advised the child’s father to shift him to another nursing home, as Maya Sanyal’s did not have the infrastructure necessary to tackle an emergency. The boy died soon after he was shifted.
Chief medical officer of health, Darjeeling, Taraknath Chattoraj issued the order closing down the nursing home until the probe was over and seized its licence. Chattoraj met members of the Siliguri unit of the Association for Protection of Democratic Rights and the Siliguri Welfare Organisation, which have been clamouring for a crackdown on doctors accused of negligence.
“I have instructed the assistant chief medical officer, who supervises renewal of licences to nursing homes, to look into the matter. The nursing home will be closed down from now on,” Chattoraj said. Later in the evening, minister Bhattacharya said the inquiry committees set up by the health authorities had been told to submit their reports within a fortnight.
Describing the death of Mayukh as “unfortunate”, he said: “We will ensure that speedy action is taken against anyone found guilty of negligence in the report. Earlier, many probe committees had been constituted and nothing came out of their reports. We will ensure that allegations of negligence in the deaths of Sarfaraz Hussain as well as Mayukh Ghosh are investigated properly and speedy action is taken.”
Bhattacharya, however, had a word of caution. “We appeal to the people not to ostracise the doctors and brand all of them negligent. The people should have confidence in the medical profession.”
Besides Chhatoraj and Bhattacharya, the meeting this evening was attended by Siliguri mayor Bikash Ghosh, additional superintendent of police, Siliguri, Rajeev Mishra, subdivisional officer Gopal Lama, principal of North Bengal Medical College and Hospital Utpal Dutta, superintendent of Siliguri subdivisional hospital Tapan Saha and IMA representatives.
