The National Human Rights Commission said that it had issued a show-cause notice to the Union Labour and Employment Secretary in the case of a COVID-19 patient who “died due to medical negligence” at an Employees’ State Insurance (ESI) hospital in Delhi. The NHRC said the complainant alleged that his father was seriously ill and was suspected to be suffering from COVID-19 when the ESI Hospital in Jhilmil, kept referring him from one hospital to another, without treating him.
According to the proceedings in the case, the man died on May 29, 2020 after he was finally referred to a private hospital that had a tie-up with the ESI after visiting the ESI hospital four times. The NHRC had issued the show-cause notice on September 30 and then called for an action-taken report on October 13, according to the proceedings.
The Secretary was asked to submit a report on the matter, including whether a COVID-19-negative report is required for being treated at an ESI hospital, why the doctors at the hospital were not aware of the tie-ups with private hospitals as they took three days to refer the patient and why the patient was not treated in the emergency ward.
“Earlier, on the basis of the material on record, the commission found that there was gross negligence in treatment/referral by the doctors at the ESI hospital, Jhilmil, Delhi, which caused delay in the treatment of the patient leading to his death. The commission observed that this act of negligence violated the Right to Health and Right to Life of the victim under Article 21,” the statement said.
