Another patient dies; 2 employees arrested

Two employees of a Delhi government-run hospital were arrested on Wednesday in connection with the death of four patients allegedly due to malfunctioning of oxygen supply machine. A senior police official said the duo were charged for death due to negligence (Sec 304-A of IPC). Madanlal Sharma (66), supervisor, and Amit Singh Katoch (25), technician, were arrested following investigations into the incident which took place in Shushruta Trauma Centre in north Delhi on Tuesday, the official said. In a related development, fifth victim of Sushrut Trauma Centre incident died on Wednesday. The deceased has been identified as Vikram, 63, he was brought to the hospital a few days back in critical condition. He was among the five persons admitted in the ICU of the trauma centre. Four of the victims died on Tuesday due to lack of oxygen supply. Meanwhile, the chief minister Sheila Dikshit has announced a `two lakh compensation to the next to the kin of the deceased. Delhi health minister A.K. Walia called a meeting of all the medical superintendents of the city government hospitals to keep a check on such incidents. “Mr Walia constituted a four-member committee under the chairmanship of Maulana Azad Medical College dean Arun Kumar Agarwal to review the existing medical procedures and facilities at hospitals and make recommendations for modernisation, strengthening and up-gradation of the system. The systems will be overhauled based on the status and requirements of each hospital. The other members of the committee are professor and head of anaesthesia department in G.B. Pant Hospita D.K. Tempe, director of anaesthesia department in Lok Nayak hospital U.C. Verma, and Dr. A.K. Sethi, head of the anaesthesia department, Guru Teg Bahadur Hospital,” said a senior Delhi government official. Dr Walia said that the city government is waiting for the enquiry report of the committee constituted for the investigation of trauma centre’s incident. He said that the government will decide the strategy once the report comes out. He also assured that no one will be used as a scapegoat as it is the responsibility of the staffs of the hospital also to check such important things. Reacting on the incident happened in the Sushrut Trauma Centre on Tuesday, leader of the Opposition in Delhi Assembly Vijay Kumar Malhotra said that it is the result of the failure of the city government that such a major accident has happened. “Sushrut Trauma Centre is situated just two steps from the Delhi Assembly and Delhi government failed to ensure the maintenance of the Centre under its nose then it is quite apparent about the pathetic condition of other hospitals in the Capital. On one hand the government is blowing its trumpet by organising mock drills to meet any eventuality on the other hand the incident in the Sushrut Trauma Centre has exposed the Delhi government about its efficiency,” he alleged.