Kolkata: A committee formed by the state health department to probe alleged irregularities in Apollo Gleneagles Hospital has found negligence on the part of some 10 hospital staff, including doctors.
A patient, Sanjoy Roy, recently died after treatment in the hospital due to alleged negligence, leading to the probe.
“The committee has not only come across gross negligence in terms of medical treatment but also in case of billing which was deliberately inflated. The hospital doctors could not properly address the injury in Mr Roy’s liver that triggered excessive bleeding, ultimately leading to his death,” said a source in the health department, who did not want to be named.
“The report has fixed the role of some doctors, billing staff and critical care experts with their names who have been responsible for dereliction of duty,” the source said.
The discrepancies in billing was clearly evident in the findings of the committee as four major anaesthesia was shown in the bill, while only one local anaesthesia was used on the patient.
“Critical care experts do not have any extra charge for attending to such patients. However, consultation fees of some of these specialists were included in the bill even though they had not visited Mr Roy during his admission,” the source added.
The state government also discussed legal options that can be undertaken against those whose negligence was evident.
A Nabanna source said the state may take action against four doctors, who include a radiologist, a CCU specialist, an anaesthetist and a general medicine expert. Two top administrative officials have also been found negligent in discharging their duties. “The state government has started talks with the Indian Medical Association and is likely to recommend cancellation of registration of the offending doctors,” the official said.
The report will soon be submitted to chief minister Mamata Banerjee, who also heads the health portfolio.
Sanjay Roy, a resident of Dankuni in Hooghly district, met with an accident and was admitted to Apollo Hospitals on February 16 with injuries on his chest and stomach.
After seven days at the hospital, when the bill escalated to over '7 lakh, his family members decided to shift him to state-run SSKM Hospital. He was shifted there on February 23 at 9.30 pm and later that night he died.
The hospital has also been found negligent of releasing Mr Roy. The family members had to deposit one of their fixed deposits for discharging him.
