Clean chit to doctors in ex-CJI Verma's case

A disciplinary committee of Delhi Medical Council has found "no medical negligence" on part of doctors of three hospitals in the case of former Chief Justice of India J S Verma, who died in April last year.
The committee, which was examining the case after Verma's family gave a complaint in this regard, has said in its order, "No medical negligence can be attributed on the part of the doctors of Bhardwaj Hospital, Fortis Escorts Heart Institute and Medanta, the Medicity, in the treatment administered to late Justice J S Verma."
According to the Council's order, Verma died as he had multiple co-morbidities including coronary artery disease, liver disease, massive gastrointestinal bleeding and diabetes.

Girish Tyagi, secretary of DMC, said that a complaint was made by the son-in-law of Justice Verma following which the disciplinary committee examined the case and came to the conclusion. The order was given on June 10.
"The complainant's assertion that the patient had only asymptomatic coronary artery disease is not correct. The patient in addition to coronary artery disease had multiple co-morbidities such as, long standing hypertension on treatment with nebicard, long standing diabetes mellitus on glyciphage SR, long standing dyslipidemia on statins (simvastatin) for the last fourteen years and bleeding piles grade-3."
It also said that there is no definite evidence to suggest that the blood transfusions were poorly monitored at Escorts Hospital. The patient was given four units packed cells and two units of FFP over twenty four hours and did not receive massive blood transfusions.

Verma, 80, died on April 22, 2013. He had served as the 27th Chief Justice of India from 25 March 1997 to 18 January 1998.
He was also the Chairman of the Justice Verma Committee which drafted a report on Amendments to Criminal Law after the December 2012 Delhi gangrape incident.