Doc goes into hiding after death of patient he moved to other hospital

The under-construction site where Dr Yadav ran Durgesh Hospital. Pics/Hanif Patel

A Nalasopara-based doctor has been detained by the police following the death of a 35-year-old woman. Identified as Dr Anil Kumar Yadav, the accused was operating Durgesh Hospital in an under-construction building in Nalasopara East, where the woman was admitted.

The deceased, Nitu Singh, was admitted to the hospital on Monday evening after running a high temperature for two consecutive days. According to the police, Singh lived with her husband and three children in a rented house in Nalasopara East, but was brought to the hospital by her aunt since her husband was out of town.

Dr Yadav was found hiding in one of his other clinics

The doctor got her admitted after a primary check-up but her condition deteriorated on Tuesday morning following which she was shifted to the nearby Life Care Hospital where she died a couple of hours later.

When relatives and neighbours reached Durgesh Hospital, it was locked, the signboard was missing and there was no hospital staff around. The security guard at the under-construction building told mid-day that the hospital had opened barely 15 days ago and had several patients until it was shut down on Tuesday.

Deceased Nitu Singh

Relatives demand inquiry
The deceased woman's relatives have accused doctors from both the hospitals of negligence. "They should be punished," said Singh's cousin Ranjit Singh. "Our relatives later caught Dr Yadav hiding in one of his other clinics and have handed him to the police. But the police have not yet registered an FIR," he added.

Second post-mortem
The body was taken to a local government hospital for a post-mortem but relatives demanded another analysis to ascertain the real cause of death. The police then sent the body to JJ hospital.

"The exact reason of death will be revealed after the second post-mortem, but her platelet count was very low and this might be one of the causes," said Dr Mahabali Singh of Life Care hospital. "She was in critical condition when she was admitted here but I had never heard of Durgesh Hospital before. We tried our best to save her," Dr Singh added.

The Sub-Divisional Police Officer of Nalasopara Division Datta Totewar said, "If any negligence is found on the part of the doctors, strict action will be taken." The police is enquiring with Dr Yadav regarding the sudden shutting down of his hospital.

Also Read: Mumbai: Kin allege medical negligence after 23-yr-old succumbs to bicycle-fall injuries

Catch up on all the latest Crime, National, International and Hatke news here. Also download the new mid-day Android and iOS apps to get latest updates