BMC appoints external panel to probe Nair Hospital ‘negligence’

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Days after a video, in which three staff of BYL Nair Hospital are seen idling away while some burn patients are groaning in pain, went viral, the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) appointed an external committee of four doctors to enquire into the incident. After the alleged negligence led to the death of a four-month-old baby, three staff of the hospital - a doctor, an MBBS student and a nurse - were suspended. The committee is expected to submit a report on the probe in a week.

The committee has been appointed under the leadership of Dr Ajay Chandanwale, joint director, Directorate of Medical Education and Research (DMER). Four people, including the baby, had received burn injuries in a cylinder blast in Worli last Monday. While four-month-old Mangesh Puri died late in the evening the same day, Anand Puri, 27, is in a critical condition. Vidya Puri, 25, and Vishnu Puri, 5, have been shifted to Kasturba Hospital and are reportedly stable. The neighbours had alleged that the staff of Nair Hospital delayed the treatment. The hospital conducted an internal enquiry with the help of the CCTV footage and suspended the three staffers on Wednesday.

The issue was discussed in the standing committee meeting on Friday where corporators across party lines protested the incident in hard-hitting words. Ravi Raja, leader of the opposition, demanded a case of homicide against the staff. Prabhakar Shinde, group leader of BJP, demanded Rs 25 lakh compensation for the baby's family.

"The video is very disappointing. The BMC did a good job in handling COVID, but this incident has come as a shock. Strong action needs to be taken so that others learn a lesson," said Yashwant Jadhav, chairman of the standing committee.

Suresh Kakani, additional commissioner of the BMC, told the committee, "We have formed a committee under Dr Ajay Chandanwale, joint director, DMER. It comprises a doctor from JJ Hospital and two doctors, who have specialised in burn cases, from private hospitals. No doctor from the civic body is a part of the committee, as we want an unbiased report. We will implement the recommendations of the committee."

BMC Additional Commissioner Sanjeev Kumar has told the committee that the injured people arrived at the hospital around 6 am. "The staff attended to them but from 6.18 am to 6.48 am no steps were taken to treat them properly. The video was shot at that time. Later they were given treatment," he said.

Some corporators also demanded that the three doctors, whose service has been terminated, should not be reinstated. Kakani added that the corporation would tweak its rules to ensure that people with such complaints against them were not appointed.

Rs 25 lakh
Compensation sought for the baby's kin