Denied timely medical attention, accident victim dies; NHRC asks authorities to comment

New Delhi, 3 May 2005
The National Human Rights Commission has taken note of the case of an accident victim dying as a result of being denied timely medical aid as reported in a national daily on 29 April 2005. The news story highlighted the fate of 50-year-old Jaswant Singh who met with an accident at Moti Nagar in Delhi on Monday night. The accident victim, it was stated, was taken to Deen Dayal Upadhyay Hospital -- West Delhi's biggest referral hospital but which reportedly has no neuro surgeon. The news report stated that a CT Scan of Singh's head conducted at the Deen Dayal Upadhyay Hospital revealed a blood clot. From Deen Dayal Upadhyay Hospital, Jaswant Singh was referred to Dr. Ram Manohar Lohia Hospital where he was kept waiting on a stretcher outside the operation theatre the entire night. Though Singh was readied for operation, the operation never took place, as the only operation theatre remained occupied. At 8.30 a.m. on Tuesday, Jaswant Singh was referred to the Trauma Centre. The news report quoted the doctor on duty at the Dr. Ram Manohar Lohia Hospital as writing to his counterpart at the Trauma Centre: "I am sending a patient of head injury who required urgent medical attention. Here, the operation theatre has been busy since 9.00 a.m. yesterday. It (operation) may be further delayed".
Doctors at the Trauma Centre informed that Singh was sent in an ambulance without an attendant. At the centre, Singh had to be immediately put on a ventilator as he showed signs of collapsing. He was operated upon there on Tuesday noon, 12 hours after the accident, and long after the 'golden half an hour', which experts say, is the time period within which a head injury patient should be treated, the newspaper reported.
On noting the story carried in the press, the Commission observed that if true, it is a sad commentary on the state of emergency medical care for trauma victims. The Commission, in the recent past, while dealing with the issue of emergency medical care made some short term and long term recommendations to the authorities concerned on strengthening emergency medical care for the trauma victims. In the said case, it seems that despite the recommendations made by the Commission, no steps in furtherance of improvement of emergency medical care to the trauma victims have been taken by the authorities.
The Commission has directed that a copy of the news report be transmitted to the Secretary (Health) Government of India, Chief Secretary, Government of NCT of Delhi, Health Secretary, Government of NCT of Delhi and the Medical Superintendents of Deen Dayal Upadhyay Hospital, Ram Manohar Lohia Hospital and Trauma Centre to look into the matter and submit their comments within four weeks.
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