Hospitals must have standard referral protocols, say experts

‘They cannot simply give discharge and ask patient to leave’

: Kamlesh Singh shows the difference in X-ray reports of his 15-year-old daughter Kanu Priya, who the family alleges died due to medical negligence at K.J. Somaiya Hospital. file photo

Mumbai: Absence of a well-defined referral system in hospitals leads to suffering of patients, say activists. When it comes to infectious diseases like tuberculosis, hospitals often refuse admission or discharge the patient in a hurry.

On Thursday, The Hindu reported about the death of a 15-year-old girl, who was allegedly discharged in haste from K.J. Somaiya Hospital soon after her TB was diagnosed. While the incident dates back to May last year, the victim’s father, Kamlesh Singh, has now approached the Maharashtra Medical Council (MMC) demanding action for medical negligence against the doctors.

Health activist Dr. Abhijit More, who is the co-convenor of a non-profit organisation called Jan Swasthya Abhiyan, said it is the most basic humanitarian duty of any hospital or doctor to facilitate the shifting of a patient who needs a facility that the hospital cannot provide. “The hospital cannot simply give discharge and ask the patient to leave. Even more so if the patient is in a bad condition.”

Mr. Singh in his compliant has alleged that despite his daughter Kanu Priya being in a bad condition, the hospital insisted on discharge and asked them to return for a follow-up after seven days.

The hospital authorities, however, claim that the patient was asked to go to Sewri TB Hospital as they did not have an isolation facility for TB patients. “If the girl was admitted and had to be shifted to Sewri TB Hospital, the hospital should have arranged for an ambulance and transferred her,” said Dr. More. Another health activist Dr. Arun Gadre, who is a member of the Alliance of Doctors for Ethical Treatment, said such instances occur due to lack of standard referral protocols and standard treatment protocols. “That is one of the main reasons why we are demanding that the Clinical Establishment Act be passed. The Act will bring in these standard protocols that every medical institution will be bound by.”

When asked if they have received Mr. Singh’s complaint, Dr. Shivkumar Utture, an elected member of the MMC, said the full council is yet to sit for hearings. “The administrator must have received the complaint, but he manages to take one or two hearings,” said Mr. Utture. The MMC already has a backlog of more than 600 cases.