Kolkata: Hospital orders probe over negligence charge

Private healthcare chain, Columbia Asia on Wednesday ordered an internal probe after the family of a patient lodged a case of medical negligence against its hospital in Kolkata.

The family filed the case in Kolkata's Bidhan Nagar police station alleging that the hospital staff infused blood of a wrong group, while performing a surgery due to which the patient suffered multiple organ failure.

"The patient is better now, but she is still under observation. A team has been formed by our head office in Bengaluru to find out whether she was infused with the blood of a wrong group," Chief of Medical and Admin, Columbia Asia Hospitals Pvt. Ltd, Dr Tirthankar Bagchi said.

The patient, identified as Baishakhi Saha, was taken to hospital after she had complained of abdominal pain. Thereafter, she underwent a surgery on June 5.

According to Baishakhi's husband Abhijit Saha, instead of A+ blood - which is her blood group - the hospital transfused AB+ into her body.

Abhijit told ANI that the hospital administration is now "threatening to stop treatment" if he will not play his bills though he said he has already paid Rs 2.5 lakh.

Talking about the same, Dr Bagchi said: "Someone might have called the patient's husband for the outstanding bill but it was not that management who had forced him. If someone has done anything wrong it will be investigated."

Abhijit has also sent a letter to West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee asking her to take strict actions against the hospital authorities.

This is not the first time when Columbia Asia has been accused of negligence.

In February, the son of a 67-year-old woman filed a police complaint against its hospital in Gurugram, alleging negligence in a surgery performed on her for which a final bill of Rs 17 lakh was raised. The woman died 18 days after the surgery.