Bilaspur, Chhattisgarh: In a significant development in a seven-year-old medical negligence case, four doctors from Apollo Hospital, Bilaspur, were arrested and were later released on bail. The doctors were arrested after the inquiry revealed negligence during treatment by the doctors.
The case pertains to the death of a young businessman, Gurveen Chhabra, alias Goldy, who was admitted to Apollo Hospital in 2016 after complaining of a stomach ache. Goldy, a resident of Adarsh Colony, Dayalband, died at the hospital on December 26, 2016. The hospital initially claimed that he died due to sulfur poisoning. However, the postmortem report did not confirm this as the chemical report from the Forensic Science Laboratory (FSL) was pending. In 2019, the FSL report revealed that there was no poison.
Goldy’s relatives lodged a complaint alleging negligence and wrong treatment by the hospital management and doctors. When no action was taken by the police, Goldy’s father, Paramjeet Singh Chhabra, filed a petition in the High Court against the state government, senior police officers, and Apollo Hospital, demanding action against the doctors and the cancellation of their licenses. The High Court ruled in Paramjeet’s favor and ordered the police to conduct a preliminary inquiry.
The post-mortem report from the Chhattisgarh Institute of Medical Sciences (CIMS) in Bilaspur and a report from the Directorate of Forensic Science, Medical Legal Department, pointed out prima facie negligence during the treatment. Consequently, the police lodged an FIR under IPC sections 304 (A) for causing death by negligence, 201 for causing the disappearance of evidence, and 34 for common intention. Further investigation regarding negligence by the hospital management and other doctors is currently underway.
