3 doctors booked for negligence after revenue officer’s post-childbirth death

ROORKEE: A case has been registered against three doctors of a private hospital in Roorkee in connection with the death of a 33-year-old revenue sub-inspector following childbirth, allegedly due to medical negligence. Monika Bhave's husband, Pankaj Kumar Saini, also said he was threatened at gunpoint by private guards of one of the accused doctors when he tried to inquire about her condition.In his police complaint, Saini said his wife was admitted to Shiromani Hospital in the Nehru Stadium area on Dec 25 for delivery. She gave birth to a baby girl, the couple's first child, around 4pm through normal delivery. Soon after, her condition allegedly deteriorated and she began "writhing in severe pain". Saini alleged that the hospital in-charge, Dr Poonam Gupta, examined his wife only after a considerable delay. Later, Dr Ashish Gupta and Dr Sanjay Kansal also examined her. The doctors subsequently took Monika to the operation theatre and, after the procedure, around 8pm, referred her to a higher medical centre in Haridwar.He claimed he was not allowed to speak to his wife after she was brought out of the OT. "An ambulance was arranged by the hospital in haste, and my wife was placed inside it. When I tried to ask Dr Poonam about my wife's condition, her personal guards threatened me at gunpoint and forced me to sit inside the ambulance. Fearing for my safety, I accompanied my wife to Haridwar, where she was declared dead on arrival," he said.Based on the complaint, a case has been registered under BNS sections 106(1) (causing death by negligence) and 351(3) (criminal intimidation). "Further action will be taken after completion of the investigation and based on its findings," said SP (rural) S C Suyal.The hospital management, however, rejected the allegations, denying both medical negligence and intimidation. They said the patient was provided all possible medical treatment and was referred to a higher centre in time when her condition went out of control. "The post-mortem has been conducted and the report will clarify everything. We have CCTV footage of the hospital premises. Allegations of medical negligence and intimidation are completely baseless," Dr Poonam Gupta told TOI.