The High Court of Karnataka on Friday directed the State government to hold a fresh enquiry through a senior police officer into the death of two patients, including a doctor in government service, allegedly due to refusal of admission by government and private hospitals in the city.
A Division Bench comprising Chief Justice Abhay Shreeniwas Oka and Justice Aravind Kumar issued the direction while declining to accept the report of enquiry made by officials of the Health and Family Welfare Department, while terming the enquiry was done in “casual manner”.
In the first instance, the court asked the government to enquire to the death of Manjunath S.T., a doctor at the government primary health centre in Kanakapura, as it was reported in newspapers that he died as hospitals failed to admit him on time.
In the other instance, 70-year-old Chikkanarasaiah of Kamala Nagar had written to the Chief Justice narrating how his son-in-law Chetan Kumar C. died after he was unable to get timely admission in 15 to 20 hospitals for non-COVID-19 ailment and also about conflicting reports of COVID-19 test on Chetan.
The Bench noticed certain overwriting in hospital documents related to Dr. Manjunath. The Bench also pointed out that casual telephonic call was made to get certain information in case of the complaint by Mr. Chikkanarasaiah instead of proper recording of statements.
Stating that it was not going to deal with the enquiry conducted as it new probe had been ordered, the Bench orally observed that it expects the government to treat the complaints against hospital seriously so that such unfortunate instances do not recur.
