New Delhi:
Under attack after the death of four patients at the ICU of a state-run hospital, Delhi government on Thursday dismissed two doctors, suspended one and transferred another holding them guilty of failing to perform their assigned duties and take proper care of the patients.
The action came hours after a probe panel submitted its report to the city government on the death of the patients at the ICU of Sushrut Trauma Centre in North Delhi on Tuesday following snapping of oxygen supply.
The government has terminated contract of the private entity tasked to maintain the oxygen supply system in the hospital, and initiated proceedings to blacklist it.
Health Minister A K Walia said services of two doctors -- Teena Khurana and Richa Gupta -- have been terminated. Both the doctors were in-charge of the ICU.
Based on the report of the probe panel, the government removed hospital in-charge Ramphal and placed under suspension medical officer in-charge of repair and maintenance Anshuman.
Four patients had lost their lives at the Sushrut Trauma Centre, a Delhi government-run hospital, on Tuesday following snapping of oxygen supply. Another patient who was also in the ICU died yesterday, but the government claimed that the death was not due to the same reason.
Walia said the action against the doctors and contractor have been taken based on findings of the inquiry panel headed by Special Secretary in Health department, S B Shashank.
The committee in its report said the doctors in-charge of the ICU failed to perform their responsibilities while holding the medical officer in-charge of repair and maintenance guilty of dereliction of duties.
Walia said Additional Medical Superintendent Ramphal has been removed and he would be offered an alternative posting after due consideration of the report.
He said the Health Department has been instructed to deploy efficient and experienced doctors at the Trauma Centre immediately.
Officials said the two doctors, whose services have been terminated, were appointed on contractual basis.
An FIR has already been registered with the police against the "delinquent contractor" while two technicians of the hospital were arrested, Walia said.
The Health Minister on Wednesday had constituted a four- member panel under chairmanship of Arun Kumar Agarwal, Dean of Maulana Azad Medical College to review the existing medical facilities at 37 city government-run hospitals and make necessary recommendations to improve their services.
The Committee has been told to visit each of the 37 Delhi government-run hospitals and submit a detailed report within a fortnight.
Sources said the probe panel blamed the private contractor for failing to deploy adequate number of manpower to run the oxygen supply system. Walia said the contractor had deployed six persons on the day of the incident instead of nine.
The inquiry committee also pointed towards certain "inherent deficiencies" in the entire hospital administration and was critical of Ramphal's role.
The sources said the probe panel made a series of recommendation to improve functioning of the hospital including proper training of the technicians and putting in a place a standard operating procedure to take care of critical patients.
Panel said the loopholes in the hospital administration must be plugged to ensure better service delivery.