A kidney patient from Ambala, identified as Subhash Verma, died while on his way to the PGI here on Tuesday as he was reportedly stopped by the security personnel in view of Prime Minister Manmohan Singh’s visit to the premier medical institute.
According to reports, the patient, in his thirties, who was on dialysis, was not allowed to enter the emergency department and he had to wait for nearly one and a half hours before he died of heart attack. The Bhargava Auditorium, where the Prime Minister was addressing the PGI’s Convocation, is located near the emergency department and the main gate had been virtually sealed off by the security personnel.
Dr. Singh has expressed grief over the death of the patient and is understood to have sought a full report from the authorities.
Meanwhile, a spokeswoman of the PGI said Mr. Subhash Verma was brought dead by his attendants to the PGI Emergency Medical OPD at about 12 noon with a history of end stage kidney disease. He had been on maintenance hemodialysis in a private hospital. On Tuesday he was taken to a private hospital in Chandigarh for hemodialylsis, following which his condition deteriorated. He was rushed to the PGI emergency where he was “declared brought dead.”
She further claimed that there were no “restrictions” and from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m., 40 new patients were examined in the Emergency Medical OPD. She further said that all medical facilities in the PGI were functioning normally during the visit of the Prime Minister.
