Woman undergoing treatment marked dead on hospital records due to ‘clerical error’, students hold protest demanding action

Nainital: A 62-year-old woman undergoing treatment at Chandan Hospital was allegedly recorded as "deceased" in hospital documents, triggering protests by student activists on Tuesday. The hospital termed it a clerical error and said the staff member responsible has been terminated.Hema Deupa was admitted to the ICU and on ventilator support. On Monday, when her family decided to take her home, the billing department mistakenly entered "death" as the reason for discharge on the file cover during the discharge process, a hospital management representative said. He clarified that her medical records and discharge summary correctly reflected her condition and called the entry a human error. He said, "Disciplinary action has been taken against the employee concerned and corrective steps are being introduced." The representative also alleged that the family took the patient's file and shared its video online, which the hospital described as a breach of its property. He added that the hospital is cooperating with the police inquiry.Following the incident members of the Akhil Bharatiya Vidyarthi Parishad (ABVP) and student union members of MBPG College staged a protest outside the hospital in Haldwani, seeking accountability and action against the management. They demanded assurances that such an error does not recur.SP (City) Manoj Katiyar told TOI, "Police have received complaints from both the students and the hospital after the protest. In their complaint, student leader Abhishek Goswami alleged that a hospital staff member, Raman Sethi, misbehaved with student representatives and used abusive language, and sought action against him."In a counter-complaint, hospital representative Satyaprakash Dubey alleged that ABVP members "created chaos, vandalised property, and harassed staff", disrupting services and putting patients at risk. He sought security and registration of an FIR against those involved.Katiyar said police are examining all aspects of the incident and appropriate action will follow based on the findings.