Chief minister Mamata Banerjee who also holds the health portfolio has assured the parents of the two-and-a-half years old deceased Awitri a detailed inquiry into the death of the toddler at AMRI hospital in Mukundapur along E M Bypass on Wednesday.
Awitri, a child of Kamalgazi in the southern part of the city, died at the private hospital on Wednesday owing to alleged medical negligence in treatment by concerned doctors and nurses. A day after the death, her bereaved parents ~ Mr Joyonta De and mother Mrs Shampa De ~ met the chief minister at her Kalighat residence today alleging negligence by doctors and nurses have caused the death of their child at the hospital. They demanded a probe into the negligence in treatment of the medical staff at the hospital.
Miss Banerjee advised them to lodge complaints against the hospital with the West Bengal Health Regulatory Commission (WBHRC) that redresses the issues related to medical negligence in treatment of patients across the state assuring them to conduct a thorough inquiry.
During a meeting of more than half an hour, the aggrieved parents told the chief minister everything about their grievances in connection with the poor healthcare infrastructure facilities of the hospital and negligence in duty of the medical staff who were involved with the treatment of their child.
On the other hand, the relatives of the deceased lodged a complaint with the East Jadavpur police station against the hospital, one doctor and Mrs Joyonti Chatterjee, the head of the AMRI Hospital’s Mukundapur unit who misbehaved with the deceased’s relatives on Wednesday. “Don’t make any hooliganism here at the hospital and for your information I am also a big hooligan,” in a harsh tone Mrs Chatterjee had threatened the bereaved relatives who were protesting against Awitri’s death.
According to a senior police officer, the relatives have also filed a case against AMRI under The Clinical Establishments (Registration and Regulation) Act, 2010 at the Kalighat police station. The police have already initiated investigations to verify the charge of the negligence cry against the hospital and medical staff.
Today, the police asked the hospital authorities to submit the CCTV footage that has recorded the entire episode of heated exchange of words between the agitating relatives and the hospital staff, including Mrs Chatterjee, to East Jadavpur police station.
A counter-case has also been filed at Purba Jadavpur police station by AMRI against the relatives for allegedly causing a disturbance at the hospital. The police have also asked the authorities to send all papers related to the treatment of Awitri at the hospital, sources said. Sources also said that police along with medical experts have collected skin sample from the portion of the child’s body where she was administered injections.