I am writing this to you with a lot of sorrow in my heart and I pray that no other family has to go through the trauma that they have put my father and family through. I earnestly request the newspaper to share the story and save many other families from such trauma.
My father went unconscious and fainted on 10th of June and we immediately took him to Max, Patparganj, where he was advised a cervical spinal cord surgery. Thereafter, we got him admitted in Fortis hospital under Dr. Rana Patir for the surgery and further treatment. The surgery took place on 15th June and on 18th June he was shifted to the room. However, due to sheer negligence of the hospital staff my father’s condition became critical again. We had already given all the required previous medical records which stated that my father had an EF 30% which means a low pumping function of the heart and his liquid intake had to monitored. Before surgery as well, my father’s liquid intake was restricted to a total of 2.2 to 2.5 liters. However, the nursing staff did not take care of his liquid intake and on 20th June, they had given him 5 bottles of 500ml each of saline liquid itself and rest oral intake of liquid was separate. He was kept on a semi-solid and with liquid intake, he was given coconut water, soup, lassi, water to quench his thirst and water for medicines. In total he was given 3.5 to 4ltrs liquid.
Also, the same day none of the nursing staff took care that he has not passed any urine since morning, only by evening they realized that even after soo much of liquid intake there is no output. They realized that there was an issue with the cathedral and then cleared after which one liter urine stored in bladder since morning flushed out immediately. By the time they realized there mistake it was too late, he was already too critical, his heart was not able to manage all the liquid that was given to him. His BP was falling, the liquid started to accumulate in his lungs due to which he was not able to breathe properly, CO2 started accumulating and saturation was falling. They realized the grave mistake the hospital had made, and immediately he was advised to be shifted back to the ICU (to which my father referred to as torture room - see below as to why) and was kept on diuretics. Thereafter, father started having episodes of getting unconscious, having lack of oxygen and falling heart rate which the hospital called as an autoneuro issue and is a symptom of spinal cord injury. We questioned him that if it is due to the injury how come he did not show such signs right after the injury (10th June) and anytime until 20th (he was operated 5 days after injury and 5 days post surgery also he was recovering). The cardiologist there said that this is not a cardiac issue and the neurologist said that this not a nerve problem. They made my father’s condition critical and did not know how to handle it.
The second negligence that they did was that they should have upfront told us that we are not able to understand the issue and hence we cannot treat him. They only kept assuring us that it is getting better give it time to heal.
Thirdly, the nursing staff is horrible at Fortis in ICU. My father was quadriplegic post the injury and hence could not move. He depended on the nursing staff to give him a glass of water even. Before surgery he was allowed small sips of water and during later in the night when he asked for water, no nurse gave him water. My father shared an instance where he was left bare saying that we have to change your clothes, and they covered him only after 30mins after leaving bare and cold. He only kept on waving his hand so that some nurse pays attention. We had raised such complaints to the nursing staff but clearly Fortis doesn’t care about the patients only about the money aspect. I myself witnessed one such incidence where when he was sleeping and only asked the brother around him that he is sleeping or he has been given any medicine to rest, after which the brother immediately went to my father’s bedside and thumped him hardly 5-6 times and asked him "tell her if we have given you any medicine for sedation". They treated him as if he was a prisoner and not a patient.
Fourthly, my father was advised loose syrup to pass motion. When he was in room for a total of 3 days (18th evening until 20th June night) only once the sister gave him the syrup and shockingly when I checked the file it was written that they had given him the syrup. I know this because the loose syrup bottle was in the room itself and she never took it from us except once.
After all such incidences were explained to the treating doctor Rana Patir, he only said "I admit that the nursing staff might be careless but you have to take of patient". This statement means nothing after I finally lost my father on 28th of June. He had multiple cardiac arrest for which the doctors explanation was autoneuro, however they are unable to explain why these autoneuro incidences happened only after the day he was given too much of liquid and not any day post-injury.