http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/chandigarh/PMs-security-claims-patients-life/articleshow/5194254.cms
CHANDIGARH: VVIP security, always a huge public inconvenience, may have claimed
the life of a 32-year-old man who died of kidney failure on Tuesday Fatal
Delay? Grieving family members with Sumit Verma's body at PGI.
after being denied entry to the city's premier Post-Graduate Institute of
Medical Education due to Prime Minister Manmohan Singh's security.
A very ill Sumit Verma was taken by his family from Ambala to Chandigarh where
he was admitted for dialysis at a private hospital. But when he developed
breathing problems, he was rushed to PGI but found most routes leading to the
hospital blocked.
Verma's kin alleged that after a two-hour struggle, they managed to wind their
way to the hospital gate, but were blocked again by Chandigarh police, manning
the outer perimeter of the multi-layered security ring that's thrown around any
VVIP venue.
The PM was at PGI for the institute's convocation.
"Uniformed cops stopped our car from entering PGI's main gate, which is located
opposite Panjab University campus. We were told to go from the other gate about
a kilometre away. It took us a lot of time to get there as traffic was chaotic
because of security arrangements," said Aruna, the victim's sister-in-law.
Government sources regretted Verma's death and said PMO had asked for a full
report. However, they pointed out that the OPD had remained open during the
PM's visit to the institute and 40 patients had been treated between 10 am and
12 pm when the PM was there. Hospital PRO Manju Wadwalkar said Verma was
brought dead around noon at the "endstage" of his kidney ailment. She denied
hospital facilities had been closed.
While government sources wondered at the Ambala goldsmith being moved in his
critical condition without an ambulance, the smothering security of police
barricades and being waved down by cops as a cavalcade of siren-blaring cars
zooms past are common experience across India. What happened on Tuesday has
highlighted the cost that a citizen may have to pay.
Verma had been driven to Chandigarh all the way from Ambala as his kidneys
started giving way. He was first taken for dialysis to a private hospital on
reaching Chandigarh. But after he developed breathing problems, his family
tried to rush him to PGI.
The controversy over the death left the PM embarrassed. Hours after Singh flew
back from Chandigarh, an apology was issued by his office and PMO sources
expressed their "sadness' over the death of the patient and said "a full report
has been asked for." Chandigarh administration also ordered a magisterial
inquiry.
Sukhwinder Singh, who drove the car from Ambala, said Sumit was in great pain
and in tears by the time they reached the PGI gate. And even when they were
allowed in after the fatal wait, there was nobody to help or guide them.
"We mistakenly reached the cardiology department and were stopped there for 10
minutes as PM's caravan had arrived. Then, a security guard was sent to
accompany the car to the emergency ward, where doctors declared Sumit 'brought
dead'," said Aruna, who was with the body along with Sumit's widow Isha.
Curiously, Chandigarh SSP S S Srivastava had initially said that following a
request from Sumit's relatives, the body was released without a postmortem.
Later, however, Sukhbir Singh Rana, SHO of Sector 11 police station, clarified
that the body would be handed over to Sumit's kin only after the autopsy was
done. He added that inquiry officer Ashwani Sharma had recorded statements of
driver Sukhwinder Singh and others accompanying him. Another police officer
said the tragedy could have been averted if the patient had been sent in an
ambulance.
Times View
While important people like the Prime Minister need to be given total security
cover, there must be better ways of providing it. It's bad enough when VIP
security disrupts traffic on the roads for much longer than needed. But when a
city's most important hospital becomes off bounds for patients urgently needing
life-saving attention, it is totally unacceptable. If providing security to the
PM on campus means disrupting the functioning of the hospital's essential and
emergency services, even for a few minutes, the function must be held
elsewhere. Ceremonies are not and cannot be more important than saving lives —
least of all for a hospital.
Topics:patient
Chandigarh
PM security
