Prime Minister Manmohan Singh on Wednesday expressed his regret to the family of a patient, who reportedly died for want of timely medical attention due to traffic restrictions during his visit to the Post Graduate Institute of Medical Education and Research in Chandigarh on Tuesday.
Taking note of inconvenience caused to the public due to security restrictions imposed during VVIP movements, Dr. Singh said he had issued instructions to ensure that the authorities are “more sensitive” to the concerns of the common man while making security arrangements.
In a letter to the 32-year old patient’s wife, he said: “I am writing to you to express my profound sense of sadness at the death of your husband Shri Sumit Verma yesterday [Tuesday]. I understand that he could not get access to the Post Graduate Institute of Medical Education and Research, Chandigarh, in time because of the restrictions in place for my visit there. This is something I deeply regret. I have issued instructions, so that in future the authorities are more sensitive to the concerns of the common man, while imposing such restrictions for reasons of security.”
Verma’s family alleged that they were shunted from pillar to post by security personnel at the institute despite being told about his critical condition. The hospital, however, averred that he was brought dead to the emergency ward.
