The Hindu : Andhra Pradesh News : Man blames faulty lifts at OGH for wife's death

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Thursday, Mar 31, 2005

Andhra Pradesh

Andhra Pradesh

Man blames faulty lifts at OGH for wife's death

By Our Staff Reporter

HYDERABAD, MARCH 30. A woman patient's death at the Osmania General Hospital (OGH) triggered a row on Wednesday with her husband alleging that delay in shifting the woman to the emergency ward due to non-functioning of the lifts, resulted in her death.

Acknowledging that the two lifts in the old building were not working till Tuesday evening, the OGH Superintendent, Ashok Kumar, however, condemned the charge.

"The building has a ramp, which could have been used to shift her to the emergency ward. It is unfair to say that the patient was made to wait because the lifts were not working," he said.

Sharada (35), a native of Nalgonda district, was brought to the OGH on Monday night when she complained of chest pain and was admitted to the female medical ward no. 2 on the second floor. The duty doctors instructed the staff to shift her to the emergency ward, as her condition deteriorated at around 9.15 p.m. on Tuesday.

Two-hour wait?

With both the lifts not working -- one for the past week and the other since last evening -- the patient was reportedly made to wait for more than two hours before being shifted to the emergency ward on the ground floor.

The lift was finally repaired and the staff brought her down at around 11.30 p.m.

"She died within minutes of being admitted to the emergency ward. It is because of the failure of the lifts, that she died," Sharada's husband, Parmesh, alleged.

He picked up an argument with the Resident Medical Officer holding the hospital authorities responsible for her death.

No complaint filed

However, Parmesh did not lodge a written complaint either with the hospital authorities or the police.

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