Patient’s death at DH Pulwama : Attendants  allege medical negligence,  hold protests 

Pulwama, July 21: Attendants and neighbours of a patient from Shit-Parray Pora village have accused the District Hospital (DH) Pulwama of medical negligence, claiming it led to the patient’s death.The incident triggered protests within the hospital premises on Monday evening, with protesters demanding justice.Mushtaq Ahmad, an attendant, told Rising Kashmir that their neighbour, Farooq Ahmad, had visited DH Pulwama on Monday for a follow-up check-up after earlier complaints of stomach pain.“He was accompanied by his daughter,” Mushtaq said, adding that doctors at the hospital prescribed a few injections. “Soon after the injections were administered, his condition started deteriorating, and he turned pale,” Mushtaq alleged.The patient was subsequently referred to SMHS Hospital Srinagar, but, according to the family, he died on the way.The villagers were blaming the injections for causing the death. The family and villagers alleged that the patient was not shifted to Srinagar on time.“An ambulance was arranged from PHC Tahab, which took around half an hour to reach DH Pulwama,” the villagers claimed. However, the Medical Superintendent (MS) of District Hospital Pulwama, Dr. Abdul Gani Dar, denied the allegations of medical negligence.He stated that the patient was initially examined in the Outpatient Department (OPD) by Dr. Asif Jan and was prescribed a few injections, which were administered in the casualty ward.Dr. Dar explained that the patient suddenly collapsed and lost consciousness, after which he was immediately shifted to the Emergency Room (ER), where a team of doctors resuscitated and stabilized him.He added that the patient was later referred to SMHS Hospital in a 108 ALS-supported ambulance, which, he clarified, is not under the hospital’s direct control. According to him, the ambulance was called by one of the patient’s attendants, and by the time it arrived, the patient had already been resuscitated and was promptly shifted to SMHS, where he unfortunately passed away.Dr. Dar further emphasised that a patient in such critical condition could not have been transported in a regular hospital ambulance and denied any adverse reaction from the injections administered.