Mishap victim loses hand, doc fined for negligence

Mishap victim loses hand, doc fined for negligence

The MHB Colony police station lodged a complaint of negligence against a medical officer of the Bhagwati Municipal Hospital in Borivli (W) for allegedly not following proper medical steps after a 30-year-old man, who was rushed to Bhagwati hospital after a train accident in 2010, lost his hand. The victim, Atma Yadav, a resident of Santosh Bhavan in Nalasopara, was travelling by a local train on the western line from Dadar to Bhayandar in October 2010. “Yadav fell from the train, and his left hand was crushed under the train,” said an officer. The railway police took him to Bhagwati hospital. “The medical officer, Dr Shashikala Nadkarni, should have placed his hand in ice and also gotten him transferred to Sion hospital, as Bhagwati hospital did not have the required facilities, but reportedly, she did not do that” said senior police inspector Suresh Kilje of the MHB Colony police station. According to another officer who is investigating the case, it was only after RTI activist Sameer Zhaveri approached the BMC’s public health department that they conducted an inquiry into the matter. On finding that there was negligence on the part of the doctor, they slapped a fine of Rs5,000 on her. “Zhaveri then submitted the report to the MHB Colony police station in June this year. We have registered a case under section 338 of the IPC for causing hurt by act endangering life or personal safety of others against Nadkarni,” said Dalvi. Meanwhile, Nadkarni has been transferred to Bandra Bhabha Hospital. “All peripheral hospitals are well equipped with ice boxes. The patient’s hand was so severely crushed that it could not have been reattached. However, the BMC health department slapped a fine on Dr Nadkarni,” said Dr Seema Malik, head of peripheral hospitals, BMC.