Health officials quiz Apollo CEO over baby’s death

Kolkata: The CEO of Apollo Gleneagles Hospital Rana Dasgupta was questioned by state health department officials in connection to the alleged medical negligence that led to the death of four-month old Kuheli Chakraborty. The parents of Kuheli, Abhijit and Shalu Chakraborty, alleged that their baby died due to overdose of anaesthesia at around 7.50 am on Wednesday.

Mr Dasgupta refused to comment after he left the Swastha Bhavan building after two hours of questioning. However, sources in the health department said that he had provided some documents pertaining to the treatment of the child who was admitted for colonoscopy to the emergency department of the hospital with complaints of unresolved blood-in-stool. The child was referred from ESI Hospital. The health department also took a list of the doctors who had attended Kuheli from Mr Dasgupta.

The parents of the deceased child lodged a complaint with the Health Regulatory Commission. Talking to reporters, Ms Chakraborty said, “We urge the chief minister to intervene and award punishment to the doctors or nurses whose negligence has caused the death of my child. The parents of the child had already lodged a complaint at the Phoolbagan police station against an anaesthetist and other doctors and a case has been started under section 304A of the Indian Penal Code.”

The Apollo has formed a 3-member medical committee constituting prof Biswanath Mukhopadhyay, senior consultant paediatric surgeon and Dr Sujoy Kar, director, medical services and a senior professor from a government medical college to investigate the death. In February, Apollo came in dock for allegedly delaying to shift a patient to SSKM Hospital over due medical bills which ultimately led to his death.