Tarun Karthick
Port Blair, 08 November 2022
Copy of the Press Release Issued by Director, ANIIMS is produced below:
This is in reference to circulating media reports related to a patient in the Intensive Care Unit at the GB Pant Hospital on the night of 4 November 2022. A patient in critical condition was admitted in the ICU in a very serious state. The patient had been suffering from uncontrolled diabetes, chronic kidney disease, hypertension and heart disease with heart working at 25 percent capacity. When he was admitted in ICU, he had already developed diabetic gangrene and had gone in septic shock.He was immediately put on ventilator. Despite the critical and complicated condition of the patient, every effort was being made to save him by the attending doctors and nurses in the ICU. While measures as critical as cardiopulmonary resuscitation were being applied, several aggressive patient relatives gathered around the bed and interfered with the ongoing efforts, despite the doctors and nurses requesting for only one relative to be inside and rest of them to go outside in the waiting hall. The relatives were shouting and abusing inside the ICU, where more than ten critical patients were admitted at that time and were being treated for different serious conditions. Unfortunately, despite all efforts, when the patient died, the family members created a ruckus and assaulted a female doctor and other doctors and staff present in the ICU. In the media reports after the incident, one-sided interviews of relatives were conducted to sensationalise the matter and tarnish the image of the medical staff and the hospital. The matter was investigated immediately and most of the circulated media was found to be false and malicious. Most of the time, the patients admitted in ICU are very serious and limited number of doctors and staff on duty always try to treat with the best possible maximum efforts in an already a stressful work environment racing against time.Incidents like this, when a large number of relatives enter an ICU vandalising, abusing, intimidating and assaulting the health care team, are unacceptable and highly condemnable. In a place like the ICU, where most patients are critical, each patient should not be accompanied by more than one attendant. In case of unfortunate treatment outcomes, vandalism and physical aggression towards the serving doctors, nurses and staff is a cognizable offence and will be viewed very seriously in future.
The general public is being assured that the doctors, nurses and staff of GB Pant Hospital have always been serving the society and patients with utmost sincerity and conscientiousness and will always continue to do so in future also.
I lost my father in July. He was also in ICU and looked recovered. A night before he ws brought very ill but saved by the doctor , a JR, and ws put into ventilator. He responded very well and was talking with us in few hours. But the very next night he complained uneasiness, nurse was taking care but there was no doctor in ICU. Suddenly he became restless and it was one nurse who tried vt her wisdom and may be prescription, injected some sedatives after telling me. But waiting 2 to 3 mins after injection he collapsed. She tried her best but cudnt revive him . Then she ran for help and came with a very young doctor looks like intern, but by tht time he was already gone. My point is ICU is a very sensitive place atleast one JR must be posted Continuosly and exclusive for ICU. There decision are required to be taken immediately and patients conditions will not wait for any one to arrive from far away. U must take care of ICU patients honestly. There are regular news of negligence and i request the editor to please highlight issues like this and collect more information from different people. Please go for a PIL with the help of crowd funding.