Hyderabad: Woman Dies at Gandhi Hospital, Family Alleges Negligence by Staff

A 58-year-old woman, Janamma, dies at Gandhi Hospital in Hyderabad after being brought in with critical health issues. Her family claims negligence and delays in treatment contributed to her death, sparking controversy over hospital care.

Hyderabad: A 58-year-old woman, identified as Janamma, was declared dead early Wednesday morning at Gandhi Hospital after being brought in a critical condition the previous night. Relatives of the deceased have raised serious concerns about the hospital’s response, alleging negligence and lethargy on the part of hospital staff which, they claim, contributed to her untimely demise.

Delayed Medical Attention Raises Concerns

Janamma, suffering from multiple health complications, was brought to the emergency department at Gandhi Hospital around 11:50 pm on Tuesday. According to her nephew, Madhu, it took nearly an hour for the hospital staff to attend to her. He claims the emergency department only had one female doctor on duty at the time, and the initial response was slow.

“We arrived at Gandhi Hospital’s casualty at around 11:50 pm from Wanaparthy, desperate for medical help for my aunt. It took us nearly an hour to get their attention. It was only around 12:50 am that they checked her blood pressure and sugar levels,” said Madhu. He described an uphill struggle to get the medical staff to treat Janamma urgently. “I kept urging them to treat her as an emergency case. They told me to go complain to the RMO, who then directed me to the CMO. Even after speaking to the CMO and running back, no one was available to check on her,” he added.

Family’s Struggle to Secure Urgent Care

Relatives claim that after considerable delay, at around 1:25 am, Janamma was finally attended to. Doctors instructed that an X-ray and ECG be done. However, family members had to convince a ward boy to assist in transporting the patient to the radiology wing. The patient’s sugar levels were found to be dangerously low, and medication was administered to raise her sugar levels. Despite the critical condition, relatives allege that there was little sense of urgency in the hospital’s response.

“I had to purchase a three-way canula from a private medical store on the hospital campus because the emergency wing did not have one available. There was no urgency shown in her treatment. Later, they sent me to check for a bed in the ICU on the third floor, but there were no beds available,” said Madhu.

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Tragic Outcome and Family’s Allegations

Tragically, Janamma was pronounced dead between 10:30 am and 10:40 am on Wednesday morning, a few hours after family members were still trying to arrange for her transfer. Madhu expressed his belief that a more prompt and attentive response could have saved his aunt’s life.

Hospital Defends Actions Amidst Allegations

However, doctors at Gandhi Hospital defended their actions, stating that Janamma was brought in with severe health complications. “She was admitted in a very critical state, with severe sepsis, weak blood pressure, and pulse, almost in shock. Despite being placed on ventilator support in the casualty and receiving the necessary treatment, she could not recover due to complications like metabolic acidosis and kidney failure,” said the doctors at the hospital.

Family Demands Accountability

While the hospital maintains that all necessary treatment was provided, the family remains unconvinced, and their accusations of negligence are likely to spark further debate over the standard of care at public healthcare institutions. As of now, no formal inquiry has been initiated by the hospital, but the incident is under scrutiny. Relatives of Janamma continue to demand accountability and action over what they believe was a preventable death due to delayed medical intervention.