Medical negligence on the rise

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Saturday, 04 February 2012

Author / Source : STAFF CORRESPONDENT

RAJSHAHI, Feb 3: At least 14 patients died due negligence and wrong-treatment in Rajshahi district during last
one year ending on 31st December 2011. The figure of death was calculated on the news published in various newspapers published from the city during last one year. The actual number of death due to negligence and mistreatment would increase further if non-reported deaths are included herewith.
There was no report of death due to wrong-treatment or negligence of doctors and nurses in Rajshahi during last February, October, November and December-2011 but in every other month, there was one to two deaths due to the erroneous treatment and negligence of doctors.
Despite deaths, there were dozens of complaints from the patients and their guardians from Rajshahi Medical College Hospital(RMCH), various state run health complexes and private hospitals and clinics in Rajshahi,  for administering and injecting wrong drugs and driving the lives of patients to the throes of death by the on duty doctors and nurses.
Rajshahi Raskha Sangram Parishad(RRSP), a civic body working to ensure basic rights of city people, has organised several processions, formed human chains and submitted memorandum to the concerned departments by apprising the allegations of wrong treatment of patients and their negligence and misbehaviour with them in various hospitasl, Upazila health complexes and clinics in Rajshahi.
The hospital wise break up of death of the 14 patients in Rajshahi is as follows: seven patients were killed in Rajshahi Medical College Hospital, two were killed in various Upazila health complexes and five were killed in various private clinics of various places of the district.  
It is alleged, cheating the patients and their attendants in the name of offering best quality treatment was ever increasing in Rajshahi. The allegations of wrong-treatment and misbehaviour with the patients by doctors, nurses and ward boys at Rajshahi Medical College Hospital and various Upazila health complexes are a regular phenomenon.
Those deprived, simple-minded patients after being misbehaved and erroneously-treated, often do not dare to file a complaint with the concerned authorities. If there is such any, no action is taken against the responsible doctors or nurses from any quarter.
Occasionally, an enquiry committee is formed and the inquiry is also made some how and the enquiry reports are always submitted in favour of the doctors or the concerned persons. Those enquiry reports are also not published in public.
Occasionally, mobile courts are conducted against the unauthorised running of the private clinics. The owners of those unauthorised clinics are often charged with penalties. Even, some of those clinics are put under locks and keys. But, those are reopened again just after a day or two.
There having no effective monitoring system on the activities of the city clinics and hospitals (even in Rajshahi Medical College Hospital), patients being admitted and treated there are often on the hands of mercy of the doctors and nurses.
Of the remarkable incidents at various hospital and clinics that patients were killed due to negligence and wrong treatment of doctors and nurses were: on September-7, Ritu, a patient injured in road accident was admitted to RMCH. Due to negligence of doctors and ward boys, the patient died without treatment one and a half hour after her admission.
On August-26, a patient died at RMCH because he did not get proper treatment as his drugs kept near his bed was stolen.   
On August-21, there was an allegation of death of a patient at Mohanpur health complex due to negligence of doctors.
On July-19, house wife Deepali Rani was killed due to mistreatment at Nahar Nursing Home in Kesarhat of Mohanpur Upazila. The death of renowned Professor ANM Saleh of the department of Psychology of Rajshahi University at RMCH on July-4 last year was the most tragic and condemnable. Dr. Saleh was kept without treatment at the ward and on duty doctors misbehaved him even after he identified himself as the Professor of RU. However, a probe committee was formed when there was protests from the people of Rajshahi about the death of Professor Saleh due to misbehaviour and negligence of the on duty doctors and ward boys of RMCH. But, the probe report went in favour of the doctors.
Akhi Khaun, a patient was killed on June 27 due to wrong operation at Rawshan clinic of rail bazaar area of Godagari thana. Agitated people of the area ransacked the clinic following the death. The same incident happened at a nameless clinic at Kakonhat under Godagari thana where patient Rozina Khatun died after her appendicitis operation by a fake doctor there. On May-11, a patient was killed due to wrong treatment of the doctors. As a result, the doctors of RMCH were also assaulted.  On 20 April, a patient died at Bagha Health Complex due to wrong treatment, on the same day, another patient Rubia Khatun died at RMCH after her admission there after taking wrong treatment at Janani Clinic of Durgapur Upazila. On March-27, a woman died during child birth at RMCH apparently due to negligence of nurses and doctors. On March-24, patient Shamim was killed at Raihana clinic in Puthia due to negligence of doctors.
However, the quarrel and clashes between the attendants and relatives of the patients with the doctors, specially with the interns have become a common incident at RMCH.
RMCH interns observed work abstention from May-5 to May-7 last year in protest against assaulting of an intern by attendants of patient who died due to negligence of doctors.
Liakat Ali and Zamat Khan, President and the Secretary respectively of Rajshahi Raskha Sangram Parishad have said, death of patients due to negligence and wrong treatment of doctors can not be accepted. RRSP was continuing movement against such malpractice and irregularities of doctors and nurses at various hospitals and clinics of the district and will continue its struggle till there is no stoppage of such incidents.