Seven years after a young businessman’s death at Apollo Hospital, Bilaspur, the police arrested four doctors of the hospital on Friday.

The inquiry revealed negligence during treatment by the doctors, namely Devendra Singh, Rajiv Lochan Bhanja, Manoj Rai, and Sunil Kedia. The four doctors were arrested on Friday but released soon afterward on bail, said an official of the Sarkanda police station.

Gurveen Chhabra, alias Goldy, was a resident of Adarsh Colony, Dayalband. Goldy was admitted to Apollo Hospital after complaining of a stomach ache. He died at Chhattisgarh’s Bilaspur city’s Apollo Hospital in 2016 on December 26. The memo submitted by the hospital to the police claimed that he died due to sulfur poisoning. However, his cause of death was not declared in the postmortem report because the chemical report was awaited from the Forensic Science Laboratory (FSL). In 2019, the FSL report said there was no poison.

However, Goldy’s relatives lodged a complaint, alleging that negligence by the hospital management and doctors, as well as the wrong treatment, resulted in his death. But, when no action was taken by police, Paramjeet Singh Chhabra, the victim’s father, filed a petition in the High Court. The petition was against the state government, senior police officers, and Apollo Hospital. He demanded action against the doctors and the cancellation of their licenses. The HC ruled in Paramjeet’s favor and ordered the police to conduct a preliminary inquiry.

The post-mortem of the deceased was performed by the Chhattisgarh Institute of Medical Sciences (CIMS) in Bilaspur. CIMS, in its report, pointed out prima facie negligence during the treatment, the police official said.

On September 27, 2023, the police received a report from the Directorate of Forensic Science, Medical Legal Department, at the Medical College building on Jail Road, Raipur. This report also pointed to the medical negligence of the doctors and hospital management.

Later on, police lodged an FIR under IPC sections 304 (A) for causing death by negligence, 201 for causing the disappearance of evidence, and 34 for common intention.

Further investigation regarding negligence by the hospital management and other doctors is underway.

(Input from various sources)

(Rehash/Komal Bhoi)