The 30-year-old's family claims that the doctors at Sion hospital ignored his complaints
Rajaratan Raichur was the only earning member in his family
The family of a 30-year-old man who died at Sion hospital early on Tuesday has alleged that though he complained of chest pain, doctors treated him for a gastric problem. Rajaratan Jairaj Raichur worked as a safai kamgar in E ward of the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) and was the only earning member in his family.
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Raichur's mother, Padma, said he woke up complaining of chest pain at 4:30 am. As her husband was not at home, she called her nephew to take him to a hospital. Padma said that her son had taken his father's job (after he retired) two years ago. She added that he didn't have any history of major ailments and had never complained of chest pain before.
Doctor treats acidity
Yacob Shauli, her nephew, rushed Raichur to Sion Hospital at around 5 am. "At Sion hospital, his pain increased. The doctor on duty told us that it was an acidity problem and gave him two injections including a pain killer," he said.
Shauli realised his cousin's problem was bigger than a gastric issue. "He said his left arm was hurting and the pain in his chest was acute. I told the doctor that they should get an ECG done. But the doctor told me that I could get it done on my own since I didn't trust his judgment. If the doctor had got an ECG done, my cousin would have been alive today," said Shauli.
Doctor disappears
He added that after pleading with the doctor, he was asked to bring his cousin to the room where the ECG tests are conducted. "When they hooked him up to the machine, we saw a flat line and I knew my brother had died. They told me that he had suffered a cardiac arrest and asked me to get him admitted just to cover up their negligence," he said.
Shauli said that by the time he came back with the admission forms, the doctor who had treated Raichur had fled and no one was giving his name. The family has approached the Sion police but is yet to register a complaint Dr Mohan Joshi, Sion Hospital dean said, "If a complaint has been filed, then there will definitely be an inquiry of the doctors who were treating the patient. The inquiry will be done in the next 15 days."
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