Five docs go on trial for Rajnis death

KOLKATA: One year back, 17-yearold Rajnis Patel — a promising cricketer — died after a series of failed surgeries on his broken shin at SSKM.
On Thursday, five doctors finally stood trial on the charge of causing death due to negligence at the Alipore sub-divisional judicial magistrate’s court.
There was an unmistakable air of tragedy when Rajnis’ father Manoj Patel walked into magistrate Manjit Singh’s courtroom around noon, with public prosecutor Naba Kumar Ghosh.
Two post-graduate trainees, Sauvik Bardhan, Jayanta Mandal , co-accused Nirmalya Basu sat grim-faced on the last bench with RMO Sandip Manna. D.K. Mazumdar, the doctor at SSKM Hospital under whom Rajnis was admitted on February 6, 2003, was the last to come in. While Mazumdar faces negligence charges, the PGTs were accused of performing surgeries without consulting their seniors.
The grim proceedings started with Patel’s deposition. Quietly, the 41-year-old man started recounting the days he spent at SSKM with his injured son. The deposition continued for about 45 minutes.
Except for a couple of family friends, there was no one else with Patel. His wife Munni waited outside. The defence lawyers objected to the presence of outsiders and the courtroom was made out of bounds for onlookers.
On February 6, 2003, Rajnis fractured his shin bone after colliding with a fellow-cricketer at Vivekananda Park. He was taken to SSKM Hospital’s orthopaedic department. The first surgery was conducted on February 19, thirteen days after he was admitted.
Rajnis had to return to the OT, a bare 12 days later on March 3 as the X-ray revealed that the bone had not set properly. Another surgery was conducted on March 31.
The PGTs had conducted the operations. Only on one occasion, was the senior doctor present during surgery. In their earlier deposition, the PGTs had claimed that on two specific occasions the callbook had been sent for Dr Mazumdar, but he did not come.
The state health department had suspended the five accused and criminal proceedings have been started against them. The case was handed over to Kolkata Police’s detective department, which filed a chargesheet.
The state health department’s inquiry and investigation by the police recorded that Mazumdar was allegedly involved in private practice.
“We have started with Rajnis’ father Manoj Patel’s deposition who had lodged the complaint against the doctors. The entire statement could not be made in one day so we have asked for another hearing on Friday,� the public prosecutor said.
Manoj Patel and his wife Munni have been waiting for this day for the last 13 months. Now that the legal battle has taken off, Rajnis Patel’s parents are hoping for justice.
“I can’t think of anything else at the moment. Justice would be done only if the doctors are punished. I cannot allow my thoughts to be diverted,� Manoj said. Ironically for the man who saw his son die a slow death after repeated surgeries at the state’s premier hospital SSKM, it is the same government which has instilled hope.
“The Chief Minister heard us carefully when we had gone to meet him. The government appeared serious and has taken action. He was my only son and I want to see exemplary punishment for those who caused his death,� Manoj says, the anger still visible.
“Rajnis remained in hospital for four months. In the last one-and-half month his wound bled constantly. None of the doctors bothered to check him. They assured us that everything was okay. When his condition worsened, the doctors turned elusive. Is this how patients are treated?� asks Munni.
She can recall how their efforts to get the young boy discharged were spurned. “Till the day he died, we were told that everything was fine,� she said. Both want punishment for the doctors and their licenses cancelled. “My son’s life started and ended here. He was very much attached to Kolkata. I have my shop here and my parents are living in our ancestral village,� says Manoj.