Agartala, June 3: The Tripura Human Rights Commission has issued notices to the Directorate of Health Services, seeking detailed reports on two separate incidents involving alleged medical negligence at government hospitals, including the death of a patient at GB Pant Hospital and the death of a pregnant woman at IGM Hospital.
In an order signed by THRC Chairperson Arindam Lodh, the Commission said its attention was drawn to a news report published on June 1 under the headline, “Patient in critical condition in toilet for a long time, then died there.”
According to the report, a patient was allegedly found lying in the toilet of the Medicine Ward at GB Pant Hospital for an extended period on May 31. The Commission noted that the news item claimed no medical officer or nurse made any inquiry into the patient’s condition during that time. The patient was eventually discovered by family members in a critical state but had reportedly died by then.
Taking serious note of the allegations, the Commission observed that the incident, if true, indicated a blatant violation of the patient’s human rights. Before formally taking cognisance of the matter, it directed the Director of Health Services to submit a report within 15 days.
In a separate order, the Commission sought another report regarding the reported death of a pregnant woman at IGM Hospital. Referring to newspaper reports published on May 30 under the headline “Maternal death at IGM, negligence alleged,” the THRC noted that the incident was reportedly linked to the absence of medical officers at the hospital.
The Commission said the allegations pointed to deficiencies in medical services and suggested a possible violation of the patient’s human rights. It directed that copies of the relevant newspaper reports be forwarded to the Director of Health Services along with the order and requested a detailed report within 15 days.
The THRC has fixed July 3 as the date for submission of reports in both cases, after which the Commission is expected to consider further action based on the findings.
