Patient's death: MMC bars doctor from practice for 3 months

The Maharashtra Medical Council has suspended the registration of a Pune-based doctor for a period of three months, after finding him guilty of "gross medical negligence" over death of a patient he treated about three-and-half years ago.
Srihari Dhore Patil, a registered medical practitioner (RMP) having a multispeciality hospital in Pune was punished after the council members unanimously agreed on the decision, the council said in an announcement.
The Council acted on a complaint of a Balchandra Nalawade, resident of Nerul in Navi Mumbai who alleged that it was due to the gross negligence and casual attitude of the doctor who had operated upon his wife Asha Balchandara Nalawade, 48, at the Shree Hospital in Pune, for obesity that resulted in her death.

The complainant told the council that it was on December 21, 2009 the surgery was conducted on her, who was in a hospital till December 25, 2009. After being discharged she had complained of uneasiness and severe pain in abdomen and was again admitted to a hospital on the last day of 2009.
Again she was discharged the next day only to be readmitted to the hospital on January 3, 2010 and she died the following day, he said.
The patient was taken to Maken Hospital and later to Jehangir Hospital as her conditioned worsened and complications increased during this period. She died at the Jehangir Hospital while under care of Patil, the council was further informed.

A committee of medical experts from Pune was appointed to go into the causes of the death of the patient which also submitted its report to the council.
"As far as the surgery is concerned, there is no negligence on part of the RMP. However the postoperative care which ought to have been taken does not not seem to have been proper," the Council noted.