Aditya Lal
Port Blair, June 23: Late Harish Dutt, Retd. District Malaria Officer had served the Directorate of Health Services for 32 years but during his last days, when he was suffering from mouth cancer and needed attention of Doctors, of his own department, he got nothing more than negligence.
On 19th June since morning, the condition of Mr. Harish Dutt, the cancer patient, became very serious. He was scheduled to leave for Mainland India for his treatment at Amrita Institute of Medical Science, Kochi on the same day by 11.am flight. But due to continuous blood vomiting and serious health conditions, he could not take the flight and his family members took him to Amrita Health Clinic, Shadipur.
From AHC, Shadipur the patient was immediately referred to G B Pant Hospital and doctors in AHC requested ICU for the patient.
But for the relatives of the serious patient it was shocking to see that how casually the patient was dealt at G B Pant Hospital. The patient was first made to wait at casualty ward for 20 minutes and finally when he was allotted a bed in Male Surgical -I and not in ICU, even when the patient was about to die.
Before moving to Male Surgical ward, at casualty ward when the ENT specialist was called by the nurse on duty, Dr. Ashok Subramanium came to attend the patient.
“We expect some kind words and full attention of a doctor, when we go for treatment but here things were other way around. The Doctor instead of trying to stabilize the patient advised us to take the patient back home. Even when the patient is about to die the Doctors can be little sympathetic and show some care,” said an angry relative.
“He is a cancer patient and already he had survived one and half years after the treatment, as the patient merely lives for just 3-4 years, How much more will he live? So don’t waste your time and money, take the patient home as he cannot survive anymore” the Doctor allegedly said and left the place.
Inside the ward, the relatives had to face more problems. According to the statement given by the relatives the staff nurse present at the ward gave the patient the last bed, which was lacking proper ventilation. When troubled relatives of the patient refused to occupy the bed and demanded any bed between 1- 10, which were vacant, the Nurse, Rita Roy, replied that the beds are kept for serious patient, however, the nurse was well aware that the patient, Harish Dutt was very serious.
Anyway the patient was not taken to the last bed by the relatives, which made the nurse very angry. The nurse reportedly started shouting inside the ward. According to relatives she behaved too rudely with the relatives of the patients. The relatives alleged that even the patient was continuously vomiting blood and was getting critical, no instruments like the BP/Heart monitor were fixed for the visual examination. After several requests, the nurse Called the Doctor. Dr. Ashok Subramanium came for a quick round at 4.00 pm and he promised to visit again but he never came back.
At night the condition of the patient became very critical and the nurse who came next was very helpful and took good care of the patient. At around 1.30 am the situation was further bad and the patient was crying for help. Relatives requested the Nurse to call doctor and when the nurse requested the ward boy and sweeper, who were sleeping, to call the doctor they refused to do so.
Somehow at 2.00 AM the sweeper went to call the doctor but he returned only at 2.50 AM with Dr. Summi Lucas, who came and declared the patient dead. Furious relatives of the deceased demanded an explanation for such careless attitude towards the patient but instead of consoling the relatives the Doctor reportedly replied very rudely. “Don’t shout on me, this is not the 1st death case I am attending,” was the rude reply of the Doctor.
This is not the first such case of G B Pant and would not be the last. Even in cases where there is no hope sometimes kind words and constant efforts results in miracle. Does it cost to be polite to patients and attenders?
Andaman Sheekha tried to contact the MS of G B Pant Hospital for two continuous days for a comment but even after six visits the MS was unavailable for a quote in this regard, which shows how professional the management of G B Pant Hospital is.
