With a very heavy heart and rage against Dr. Rajiv Sethi, his team and Aditya Birla Memorial Hospital, Pune for medical negligence, misguidance, misinformation and careless billing, I am forwarding my complaint as I am not satisfied with the service that has been given to us.
On 22.09.10 my father complained of minor chest pain, we went to ABMH to consult Dr. M.S Hiremath. Under the impression that Dr. Hiremath is associated with the hospital (since I saw his name been enlisted in the faculty list of the cardiology department when I visited ABMH in the past). When we went to the reception for fixing an appointment with him, the staff informed the same doctor is no more associated with the regular cardiac panel of ABMH. I would like to get a justification from the hospital, if the doctor is no more in the regular panel of cardiologist then why the list of doctors has not been updated till date. Otherwise we would have opted for some other alternatives.
The hospital staff then informed about Dr. Rajiv Sethi, who happens to be the senior cardiologist in ABMH. In necessity and without wasting time we had to consult him. We explained him about my father’s medical history and also presented all the past medical documents about my father’s by-pass surgery which he underwent in the year 1997 at AIIMS, New Delhi. We also informed him that on 13.09.10 my father consulted Dr. Yogesh Kadam, Pune for a general body check up and the doctor had changed the medicines which he was taking since his by-pass surgery in the year 1997. My father complained of acidity, gas problems subsequently after consuming the medicines prescribed by Dr. Kadam. Dr. Sethi advised my father to undergo 2D Echo and Stress test, which my father underwent instantaneously. The result of the TMT test was positive. Doctor Mr. Sethi changed the prescription and advised my father to undergo coronary angiography test.
To take second opinion, I took my father to Dr. Umesh Akkalkotkar in Wadia Hospital, Pune on 25.09.2010. My father still complained of acidity, gas problems after consuming the medicines prescribed by Dr. Sethi. Dr. Umesh also advised my father to undergo coronary angiography test and prescribed few gas remedial medicines.
We decided to go for the coronary angiography test on 27.09.10 and in good faith I fixed an appointment with Dr. Rajiv Sethi, as we thought he is now well acquainted with my father’s medical history.
On 27.09.10, in the morning my father took a pill of sorbitrate tablet, which he used to take at times since past few days as he developed mild chest pain. My Father, my mother and myself went to ABMH hospital at 9 a.m for Angiography as per the appointment taken also informed about the mid chest pain since past few day.
The doctor admitted him in the Cath Lab for carrying out Coronary angiography and I was called for signing the consent form. The report which was presented to me showed that during the time of admission his general body condition was good/stable. Few tests such as HBsAg and HIV were conducted prior performing coronary angiography, whose result was normal.
At 1.15 p.m, Dr. Sethi asked for my father’s medical documents which I presented to him before the start of the coronary angiography test. At 2 p.m the doctor came up and said my father had a chest pain while performing coronary angiography. When we enquired about my father’s condition and showed our desire to meet him, the doctor straight away denied and didn’t let us meet him. The doctor informed us that my father has a clot in one of his arteries and he suggested to perform angioplasty/ ballooning operation immediately. We were not informed about his actual condition till then. When we enquired the doctor whether the condition of my father was stable to perform the ballooning operation, the doctor informed he was given sorbitrate to reduce the chest pain during coronary angiography and notified that the present condition of my father had stabilized to undergo ballooning. Being the son or being a well wisher, everyone would want his family members to be healthy and in good health. So with good faith again gave my consent for perform ballooning. When we thought everything will be fine the doctor came back just after 5 minutes and gave us news that even ballooning could not be performed on him and proposed ultimately for a Bypass Surgery. The doctors messed up the things within 30 minutes and we were puzzled. He asked us to meet one of the cardiac surgeons Dr. Sanjeev Jadhav of ABMH, who was deputed to perform the redo by-pass surgery on my father. When I enquired whether we can call another senior heart surgeon from other reputed hospitals in Pune or take him to another hospital, the doctors refused to do so.
Later at 2.30 p.m (approx.), the doctor again came up and informed my father’s condition is deteriorating; blood pressure is very low and the surgery cannot be performed on him at this stage unless the blood pressure normalizes. During the whole course of mishap we were not allowed to meet my father.
Later Dr. Annapurna Kalia (team member of Dr. Sethi) asked me to see the condition of my father in the OT, his condition was quite painful and was almost in a sub-conscious state of mind. When I enquired what has led to his this condition, the doctors gave us multifaceted/ dissatisfactory explanations.
My father at 3 p.m was later put in the recovery room on an artificial pacemaker and inotropes, when we touched him in the recovery room his body was almost frosty, the doctors said it is due to shock. But we feel that my father had deceased before being shifted to the recovery room. To hide any kind of negligence which might have happened from the doctor’s part, they tried to mix –up the things to hide their fault and tried to portray their clean picture.
At 5.30 p.m my father was declared dead by the hospital. The primary reason mentioned in the report is due to cardiogenic shock.
Moreover when we went to the billing department to clear the bill we found that the cost of performing ballooning was billed to us though we were not told about it. Despite the trauma of losing our father, my family members were running from one department to another for rectification of the bill. When we contacted Dr. Sethi over phone, he indulged into unjustified arguments. Ultimately after 2 days of running from one door to another in the hospital and putting our case in front of the operations department the bill was rectified.
It is very disheartening to note that nowadays the doctors and the hospitals are just trying to mop-up revenue arbitrarily at the peril of the patients with least regard to the life of a patient.
Later, when I went to collect the internal case papers pertaining to my father’s case. I asked the medical records department to furnish me the recorded video of performing coronary angiography, ECG reports, Blood Pressure reports etc based on which the doctors were revealing the health condition of my father. The medical records department as well as Dr. Sethi straightaway denied that the relevant documents and the CD which I asked for was not been kept in their record books and the reason stated by them is not attributable to us. If these documents cannot be furnished to us then the picture in front of us would still be hazy.
Today when we have lost one of the most precious gifts given by the almighty i.e our father, we insist the doctors and the hospital to justify the following:-
How the condition of my father deteriorated all of a sudden when all his reports and his general condition during his admission in the hospital was fair.
1. If the doctors have stated the primary cause of death is due to Cardiogenic Shock. I would like to know from the doctors if Cardiogenic Shock is a state of suddenly weakened heart which isn't able to pump enough blood to meet the body's needs. Then what led to weakening of his heart within a period of 10-20 minutes.
2. Why we were not fully informed the exact general condition of my father after angiogram was performed and allowed to meet him.
3. When Dr. Sethi knew my father’s case needed a special attention as depicted by him while being in the recovery room. I would like to know from the doctor, when he knew he is not competent enough to handle my father’s case then why he did not recommended any another senior cardiologist.
I am completely dissatisfied with the kind of approach shown by the doctors and the hospital itself which has completely shattered our world at one stroke. In the light of the above I urge to the authority to give us justice by taking strict action against the doctors involved in the whole mishap and also the hospital.
My this application can’t bring my father back to us but I want to ensure that these things should never happen again with anybody in future.
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