Expired Medicine Row: Situation tense in private hospital in North Lakhimpur
A CORRESPONDENT
LAKHIMPUR: A tense situation prevailed at Mid-Town Hospital in North Lakhimpur town on Tuesday following an allegation of treating patients with expired medicines, rendering of open surgery instead of laparoscopic surgery against the patient’s will and charging a large amount of money as medical fees.
Regarding the issue, North Lakhimpur Police detained the proprietor of the private nursing home, in the presence of a magistrate. Police also sealed the pharmacy of the hospital and arrested the pharmacist along with the salesman. As per a report, the authority of the hospital conducted open surgery of a patient named Tura Saha of Gogamukh who was admitted in the hospital on August 25 for gallbladder stone. The female patient wanted to go for laparoscopic surgery instead of open surgery as she had undergone cesarean operation two years ago. She expressed her intention to the surgeon. Yet the surgeon, Dr. Prabin Mili allegedly conducted open surgery in association with his assistant surgeon. She also alleged that she was transfused expired saline.
On the other hand, the hospital allegedly betrayed another family regarding the kidney stone treatment of Sumit Mazumder (18), a student of Chilapothar Purbanchal Commerce College. His mother, Chipra Mazumder alleged that the family agreed to remove his kidney stone through operation at a cost of Rs. 50,000. But the hospital authority charged an amount of Rs. 80,000 as fees for his medical treatment at the time when the patient was released. At this, the family members of Sumit protested against the hospital for the charging a large amount of money.
The hospital allegedly charges an amount of Rs. 45,000 to pay a Guwahati-based doctor who comes to the private nursing home to attend to kidney-related problems once in a month. Magistrate Monjit Borkakati, Joint Director Harpal Sing Suri and Drug Inspector Chandra Borah conducted a probe in the hospital and found various brands of expired medicines.