HC asks Apollo to submit records to verify negligent treatment

New Delhi, Aug 13 (UNI) The Delhi High Court has directed the Apollo Hospital to submit the daily treatment schedule of the patients, who allegedly died due to negligence during their admission in the hospital.

While hearing a PIL, a division bench comprising Justice MK Sharma and Justice Hima Kohli asked counsel Lalit Bhasin appearing for the premier hospital to submit a report on the functioning of the infection control committee by November 16, the next date of hearing.

The bench also directed the Apollo hospital to make available the records of daily treatment schedule of the deceased patients named in the petition to the committee for examination by an expert panel.

The Court took strong exception to the fact that the hospital deliberately did not submit the records of the daily treatment schedule of these patients for scrutiny.

''The daily treatment schedule of the hospital would indicate the line of treatment and the general health condition of the patients and the same was relevant for the purpose of arriving at the conclusion as to whether or not there was any negligence in the treatment,'' the Judges observed.

Petitioner Uma Kumar alleged that his mother died of septicaemia after an operation in the hospital due to gross negligence by the doctors.

Counsel Rekha Palli appearing for Mr Kumar submitted that there were several cases of death in the Apollo Hospital due to gross negligence, medical malpractice and mishandling.

The court had earlier directed the director-general of health services to nominate two senior doctors in the five-member committee constituted by the court on February 4, 2004 to look into the allegations.

UNI PAT YA PC1110