The family of 21-year-old Ubaid Manzoor, who was critically injured last month in firing by Border Security Force personnel at Nadihal, Rafiabad, and later succumbed to his injuries at SKIMS Soura, has alleged that his death was due to medical negligence and demanded action against the hospital authorities. Manzoor received bullet injuries on 25 June when BSF personnel fired on a group of youth at Nadihal amid shutdown call given by JRL.
Manzoor succumbed to his injuries at SKIMS on 10 July. The medical record of SMHS hospital shows serious discrepancies. In the record file of the patient, the post operative record of 25-6-2018, the day when slain youth received firearm injury in his left thigh at 11.30am reads: “In the presence of Consultant orthopaedics and CVTS consultant, the wound extended, pack removed. Fresh gush of blood came out. Patient suffered cardiac arrest. CPR started, patient could not be resuscitated”.
The family questioned that if the SMHS authorities failed to resuscitate Manzoor on 25 June 25 at 11.30pm, why was he not declared dead and why he was shifted to SKIMS where he was declared dead after 15 days.
“Since the patient was profusely bleeding, he was sent to Bone and Joint Hospital, for senior orthopedics’ assistance. At Bone and joint hospital, a CVTS surgeon was called from SKIMS, however patient had developed cardiac arrest and on the CVTS surgeon’s advice, the patient was shifted to SKIMS where he was put on ventilator,” said Dr Saima Rashid, principal GMC Srinagar, adding that the “SKIMS authority too did their best to revive the patient”.
“An enquiry will be initiated and if any negligence is found, then action will be taken accordingly,” the principal said.
Manzoor’s father, Manzoor Ahmad said that his injured son was shifted from one hospital to another hospital six times within a period of eight hours “without proper medical assistance which finally proved fatal for him”.
“After initial treatment at Baramulla district hospital, the doctors at Baramulla district hospital shifted him to Bone and Joint Hospital and we reached hospital at around 2pm on June 25. Within one hour, we were asked to shift him to SMHS hospital and after conducting few tests we were directed to shift him to SKIMS,” said Ahmad. “After few hours, we reached at SKIMS on the same day where doctors said that the patient is alright and he doesn’t need treatment here and asked us to shift him back to SMHS hospital. Later we shifted him back to SMHS Hospital at around 9 pm on the same day when he was injured.”
Another attendant of the slain youth, Muhammad Suhail said that once Manzoor was shifted from SKIMS to SMHS hospital on the late evening of June 25, the deceased complained of “wetness around the wound”, telling them that “probably blood has started to ooze out from the wound”. He was then immediately shifted to the theatre at SMHS hospital and the doctors directed the family to arrange blood for him. “We arranged the blood and soon after completing procedure at the theatre, doctors took him to intensive care of the hospital where from he was shifted to SKIMS hospital the next day on June 26,” said Suhail. “After that he went into comma and breathed his last after 15 days.”
Manzoor’s father said his son was “absolutely stable” till he was operated in the SMHS hospital. “He was being shifted from one hospital to another hospital like a migratory bird and the wear and tear he suffered during those hours of transit proved fatal for him,” he said. “Even the hospital authorities at SMHS did not provide us medical record of the patient while he was being shifted to SKIMS on June 26. However, after sensing some foul at SMHS, we took pictures of each page of medical record file and the doctors at SKIMS took note of those scanned copies”.
The death certificate issued by the SKIMS authorities has noted the cause of death due to “cardiac arrest and shock with multi organ failure”.
The SHRC has also sought a detailed report on Manzoor’s death from SSP Baramulla, the principal GMC and the medical superintendent SMHS hospital.