Patient Name: Smt Anima Saha, MRN -17510000377481
Admitted to Rabindra Nath Tagore International Institute of Cardiac Sciences, Mukundapur, Kolkata- 700099, West Bengal.
Dates: February 02, Saturday to March 08, 2019
Under Doctor Sujan Bardhan, Pulmonologist, Dr. Kuntal Bhattacharjee, Cardiologist, Dr. Lalit Kapoor, Cardic Surgeon,
Sequence of events:
1) Anima Saha, the patient was admitted on Feb 02 at 2 30 AM with breathing problem in emergency of R.N Tagore Hospital. Oxygen was administered for two hours but problem continued and was transferred to ITU under Dr Sujan Bardhan, Pulmonologist( Dr Aratrika Das, Senior Pulmonologist was on leave and the patient was under her treatment for more than 2 years, also once admitted under her about 2 years back for one day in the same hospital). She was there for 2 days, without much medical support and attention.
2) Anima Saha was shifted to CCU based on our follow ups and there she had developed some low potassium problems. In the CCU, Cardiologist Dr. Kuntal Bhattacharjee was also included for the diagnosis and after multiple tests, it was concluded that she has acute stenosis and suggested for immediate surgery.
However, Anima Saha was not agreeing for the surgery and we had decided to take her out of the hospital for further investigations/ treatment . But Dr.Kuntal Bhattacharjee threatened us that the patient would be very critical and succumb immediately or in 24 hours if she is taken out.
Dr. Bhattacharjee recommended her to Dr.Lalit Kapoor, Cardiac Surgeon .
3) We met Dr Lalit Kapoor on Tuesday Feb 05 and he convinced us on the benefits of surgery.He mentioned the success rate of surgery at 90% and a risk rate of 10%
inspite of the patient Anima Saha’s age being more than 76 years.
Dr Kapoor gave permission to Anima Sahas daughter, Pushpita Bhowmick to convince her mother for the surgery by allowing her to sit beside her bed for more than one hour in ITU. He told that he will form a Medical Board, consisting of all concerned specialists, including anesthetist Dr Saibal Raychowdhury to give a general fitness certificate. Based on the findings from all the Specialists, including Pulmonologist, Anesthetist and others related he will decide upon and go ahead for the surgery.
To our utter surprise and shock, Dr Kapoor did not share the findings of the pre surgery assessment report of other concerned Specialist Doctors, with us before the operation . On the contrary, earlier he told us that to obtain the fitness certificate, it will take atleast 3-4 days. However, when we met him in the next day, he most happily informed us that she is fit for surgery and her angiography, has got no other complications. So, he informed us that the surgery will take place on 11th February, 2019 and about the timing, the same may be checked up from the ITU Desk on 10th evening.
On 7th March 2019 at around 6 pm, when we met him in his chamber, he acknowledged his mistake and apologized for the same. But the loss has been immense to us because a sacred life of our mother has been lost.
On the day of the operation Monday, Feb 11, just before taking her to the Opeation Theatre(OT), we were totally surprised, when we were asked to sign a bond stating the patient is on a highest risk category’C’ and no option or time to counter the response was there hence was forced into the signing by Nursing Desk.
The operation started at around 2. 30 PM, in the OT at 5th Floor, as informed by the’May I HelpYou Desk’ of the Hospital and continued for the next 5 hours 30 mins. At the May I help you counter at around 5 PM we were told that the surgery is under progress and will continue for two or more hours.
To our utter shock again, at around 5 PM during the operation, we were surprised to see Dr Lalit Kapoor, the main Cardiac Surgeon sitting in his chamber at First Floor, leaving the patient in the Operation Theater, while the surgery was in progress. When we asked the Dr Kapoor, how the operation was, he did not respond and hurriedly went back to the OT in the 5th Floor from 1st Floor. Post Surgery when the patent was transferred to the ITU No 7 bed no 4, Dr. Kapoor was not there any where to tell us on the surgery. This is where the responsibilities of the main surgeon has not been met as per medical standards.
4) Post Surgery: Anima Saha did not recover and went into Ventilattion from 13th Feb till 08th March, 2019. Dr. Kapoor and his team of doctors said the reason of ventilation is that the lung condition is not good . The pre assessment of her lung was not done properly and we are sure that the surgery was done with pre-existing lung infection, she got exposed from the very beginning of her shifting in the ITU & CCU from 2nd February, 2019.
She suffered and passed away on 08th March 2019 at 3.30 PM. Because of the negligence of the Doctors, we demand the following action from the concerned authorities of the Hospital, MCI, West Bengal State Council of Health Services
• Cancellation of the Registration number of Dr.Kapoor, Dr Kuntal Bhattacharya, Dr Saibal Raychoudhury, Dr Sujan Bardhan and other concerned team of Doctors found guilty.
• Compensation of Rs.1.5 Cr. for the untimely death and mental agony and stress for J N Saha(her husband), a Former Scientist of Central Fuel Research Institute( CFRI) and her three daughters and the financial loss on the hospital bills .If the same is not paid we will take it to the courts and file a legal notice against the Hospital and broadcast the same of the misdoings of Narayana Hrudayalaya Health( Rabindra Nath Tagore International Institute of Cardiac Sciences, Mukundapur) on Twitter, facebook, Instagram and Linkdyn along with TV News Channels, Newspapers and Video clips .