Two doctors indicted by DMC

The Delhi Medical Council has found two doctors at a private hospital in north Delhi involved in medical negligence, leading to death of a woman.

The doctors are senior surgeon Dr Sunil Varma and consultant (obstetrics and gynaecology) Dr Madhu Varma.
 
DMC said if the doctors had diagnosed the reason for her infection  — which was obvious from medical reports — in time, then there could have been a better outcome. The DMC has recommended removal of the doctors’ names from the state medical register of DMC for two weeks.

On the basis of the DMC report, a metropolitan magistrate has directed a police investigation into the matter.Updesh Kaur was operated upon on April 22 last year in Vinayak Hospital, Model Town, by a senior surgeon and a consultant in obstetrics and gynaecology. She complained of abdominal discomfort and non-passage of gas from the digestive tract.

The report of the DMC disciplinary committee, which came out on August 30 this year, said that despite identifying signs of peritonitis — inflammation of thin tissue lining inside the abdomen — the doctors could not find the cause of her ‘septicemia’ on time, for which she was treated since April 26.

Her  medical test reports established the infection, which was ignored. She was given inappropriate high doses of antibiotics, which are not administered to patients with similar condition. Her report of April 26 showed deteriorating kidney functions, but other reports till May 6 are missing from the records.

DMC said due to wrong diagnosis, her second surgery was delayed till May 6, when Kaur’s condition had worsened beyond repair. She was a diabetic too. Despite evidence of progressive multiple system organ failure, she was not treated for these symptoms and she had to be admitted in an intensive care unit. 

Died after operation

After another operation on May 11, Kaur died the next day.

The DMC report noted that what was obvious from the beginning post-surgery was diagnosed only after 15 days by the surgeons. A re-exploration of her situation was not conducted on time, “which could have led to a possible better outcome”
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“The intention to do such a re-exploration was found to be missing,” the DMC said.
It concluded that the surgeons did not exercise reasonable degree of skill, knowledge and care, which were expected of a prudent surgeon.

The committee recommended that the names of the two surgeons be removed from the state medical register of DMC for two weeks. A DMC official said the names will be removed from September 30 to October 14.

Kaur’s son Paramjeet Singh Anand took the matter to metropolitan magistrate Dheeraj Mor, who directed the Model Town station house officer on September 14 to file an FIR and probe the matter.