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| Anish Thapa. File picture |
Darjeeling, Aug. 6: An orphanage in Darjeeling has filed a case of alleged negligence against a doctor of Darjeeling District Hospital, blaming him for the death of one of its boarders, a 15-year-old boy.
Anuja Ghalay, the in-charge of the Eric Wilkins Street Children Foundation, today filed an FIR at the Darjeeling Sadar police station saying Anish Thapa, an orphan at the foundation’s accommodation, died on August 5 because of the alleged negligence of S. Ghosh, the doctor who was treating him.
Anish was enrolled in a pre-vocational training course run by the foundation. “He was admitted to the hospital on July 26 after he complained of abdominal pain. The doctor asked us to get a blood culture done which showed that his haemoglobin count was low. A unit of blood was given to him on July 27,” Anuja said.
“We are now being told that a kidney profile should have been done. However, the doctor merely went about giving antibiotics and pain killers,” the foundation’s in-charge added. Anuja did not clarify which doctor told the foundation about the kidney test.
Anish underwent an ultrasonography on July 30 at a private diagnostic centre, as the radiologist of the Darjeeling hospital was on leave. Ghosh had apparently told the foundation to get the test done on the boy.
“We gave the doctor the report on July 30 but it was only on August 1 that he asked us to take the Anish to Siliguri for a CT scan and for better treatment. We took Anish to Siliguri on August 2. After the test, the doctors of a private diagnostic centre in Siliguri said he was suffering from a multi-organ disorder,” Anuja said.
“The condition of Anish soon deteriorated. We were advised to take him to the North Bengal Medical College Hospital but as it had no ventilator we took him to a private hospital and he was put on ventilator.” When his condition did not improve even after 48 hours, Anish was taken to the North Bengal Medical College Hospital on August 4. He died the next day around 7.30am.
Ghosh today said he had told the foundation to take the patient to Siliguri and so could not be accused of negligence. He said the foundation’s members did not act promptly.
The Darjeeling doctor said the attendant with Anish was hesitant to take the boy to Siliguri on July 31. “I again told them on August 1 that he was being referred to Siliguri but they took him to Siliguri only on August 2, after a delay of more than 24 hours,” Ghosh said.
Ghosh said the patient’s pulse rate was stable when he was sent to Siliguri. “While conducting a CT scan, a dye is often used and this at times could lead to dye toxicity. I think the condition of the patient deteriorated because of dye toxicity.” Calcutta-based critical care specialist Subrata Moitra said that sometimes such dyes cause allergies that can turn fatal.
Police have registered a case of negligence under Section 304 of the IPC. “We have asked the hospital to form a medical board to verify the allegation of negligence,” said L.T. Bhutia, the inspector in charge of the Darjeeling Sadar police station. Bhutia said the body has been sent for a post-mortem.
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