Pregnant woman’s death: Noida ESIC hospital director transferred to Delhi

After an inquiry report found eight hospitals guilty of negligence in the death of a pregnant woman in Noida, the director of the Employees’ State Insurance Corporation (ESIC) hospital in Sector 24, one of the hospitals indicted in the report, was transferred out on Thursday.

HT Image

The ESIC hospitals are run under the auspices of Union ministry of labour and employment.

According to the order issued by Deepak Malik, deputy director (medical administration) of the ESIC, Dr Anish Singhal, was transferred with ‘immediate effect’ from the post of director of the ESIC Hospital. “He has been posted to the ESIC directorate (Medical) in New Delhi. Dr Balraj Bhandar has been appointed as new director of the ESIC Hospital, Noida,” the order stated. Singhal will be relieved of his charge by Thursday afternoon.

Based on the probe report into the death of the pregnant woman, Gautam Budh Nagar district magistrate Suhas LY’s had sought the immediate transfer of ESIC hospital’s director, apart from action against doctors, an ambulance driver and other medical staff, who were all deemed guilty of denying treatment to the pregnant woman who died on Friday.

On June 5, the ailing woman was taken by her husband and relative to as many as seven different government and private hospitals in the district and also a private hospital in Ghaziabad. But all hospitals refused to admit her and she eventually died the same evening at a government hospital in Greater Noida.

Since the incident brought into focus the issue of medical negligence and unavailability of care even during a pandemic, the district administration had immediately constituted a two-member inquiry team, led by district chief medical officer (CMO) Dr Deepak Ohri, to investigate the matter. The National Human Rights Commission (NHRC), on Monday, had also issued a notice to the state government seeking details of action taken in the case.

The probe team found gross negligence on the part of different government and private hospitals. It held liable the doctors who treated her and referred her, and the driver of the ambulance who dropped her outside the district hospital. The DM then wrote the government seeking the immediate transfer of the chief medical superintendent of the district hospital and the ESIC hopsital director.

The report said private hospitals “made up excuses” of not having beds and turned her away, and held the staff and management guilty of negligence. The CMO has been told to issue show-cause notices to these hospitals and to lodge FIRs against them.

Despite repeated attempts through calls and text messages, Dr Anish Singhal was unavailable for comment.