The inquiry ordered by the Post Graduate Institute of Medical Sciences (PGIMS) Rohtak, into the deaths of five patients admitted in different departments is yet to reach a conclusion, with the five-member committee constituted for the probe not submitted its report so far.
Suresh Kumar Singhal confirmed that the inquiry was ordered and said the report was awaited and it should have been submitted till now. The development comes days after the institute ordered a probe into the deaths of the patients, who had undergone surgery in different departments and were shifted to general ward. PGIMS director Dr. “An inquiry was ordered as the deaths occurred within a period of about two months and there were some issues which required examination. The committee has been asked to look into the cases.
The committee, constituted under the medical superintendent with the heads of the department of gynaecology, anaesthesiology, surgery, and dentistry were its members and was given 15 days to submit the report by the end of August.
“We will examine the reasons behind the delay”, he said. He said the issue had come to light after five patients died within a relatively short period without a clear common cause, warranting an examination to establish the reasons and determine whether there was any lapse in treatment or medical management. Once the report is received, further action will be taken,” Singhal said. Establishing the exact cause of death has become difficult in the absence of post-mortem examinations or autopsy report, according to doctors familiar with the cases. They said a post-mortem can be important in cases where the cause of death is not clinically apparent, particularly when a patient dies unexpectedly after undergoing a procedure. “In such cases, unless a post-mortem or autopsy is conducted, it may not always be possible to establish what exactly happened to the patient,” a doctor associated with the cases said, requesting anonymity. On being asked that how they could find out the exact cause of death without a postmortem report, a senior doctor said that now they will examine all the medical record of these patients and their medical conditions after the surgery, and they will also require the statements of the doctors and the staff, examining them after the surgery.
