Kin of patients ransack two hospitals alleging medical negligence in Kolkata suburbs – Times of India

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KOLKATA: Two hospitals were vandalised in the suburbs of Kolkata on Friday afternoon.
The incidents took place at Belur in Howrah and Budge Budge in South 24-Parganas.
Following the death of a motorcyclist, Somnath Sahu, who was hit by an oil tanker on Budge Budge Trunk Road, the ESI hospital was ransacked.
The victim’s relatives claimed that there was negligence on the part of the hospital staff but the hospital authority denied it.
They said that the patient was not treated properly, though he was critically injured. Following the incident, two people were arrested by Mahestala police. The police had to lathicharge to control the mob.
Even a local councillor was assaulted when he tried to control the situation.
In Belur, the state hospital was ransacked by a patient’s relatives as they claimed that the doctors were not treating the patient properly.
The hospital officials claimed that the relatives were mostly drunk and they damaged furniture and other equipment at the emergency and also damaged an ambulance.
The patient’s relatives also abused the hospital staff.
The police are checking CCTV footage for identifying those involved in vandalism.
Doctors said though there was West Bengal Medicare Service Persons and Medicare Service Institutions (Prevention of violence and damage to property) Act of 2009, no one was charged under this section even after regular attacks on hospital staff and damage of hospitals.
Earlier this week another hospital in the city’s fringe was ransacked following the death of a middle-aged patient.