PM expresses sadness over death of patient during PGIMER visit

In a letter to the wife of the deceased 32-year-old kidney patient, he said, "I am writing to you to express my profound sense of sadness at the death of your husband Shri Sumit Verma yesterday".

Observing that the patient could not get access to the Post Graduate Institute of Medical Education and Research in time because of the restrictions in place for his visit, he said "this is something I deeply regret. I have issued instructions so that in future authorities are more sensitive to the concerns of the common man while imposing such restrictions for reasons of security," the Prime Minister said.

Verma died during Singh's visit to PGIMER on Tuesday with his family saying he was denied timely treatment after securitymen allegedly kept diverting the vehicle carrying him. The family had claimed that security personnel, including those from Chandigarh Police, deployed at the medical institute, did not allow their vehicle to proceed to the hospital's emergency section and kept diverting them from one place to another for about two hours.

A senior PGIMER official had said that the patient was "brought dead" to the emergency wing.