Highlights
- The notice pasted outside the now-sealed hospital has given the management three days, to respond.
- According to the notice issued by the PDA, the hospital building was built without permission and it must be vacated by Friday.
- The hospital was constructed without having proper approval of the building maps and is being operated indiscriminately the notice claimed.
It seems like bulldozers are the only option for some state governments and local bodies to fulfill the public’s perception of justice.
The Global Hospital and Trauma Centre in Prayagraj which courted controversy last week following the death of a dengue patient is likely to be the next in line to face bulldozer justice.
Hospital get notice for illegal construction
The hospital which was sealed by the authorities last week after the relatives of the patient alleged that he was transfused mosambi juice instead of platelets, has been served a notice by the Prayagraj Development Authority (PDA) over unauthorised construction.
The notice pasted outside the now-sealed hospital has given the management three days, to respond.
According to the notice issued by the PDA, the hospital building was built without permission and it must be vacated by Friday.
The hospital was constructed without having proper approval of the building maps and is being operated indiscriminately the notice claimed.
Will demolish if the reply is unsatisfactory
A previous notice issued by the PDA to the hospital management did not receive any reply, after which a demolition order was passed earlier this year, it said further.
The notice warned that if the response is not satisfactory, the illegal constructions would be demolished.
Mosambi juice transfusion controversy
Last week, Pradeep Pandey, a 32-year-old dengue patient died after he was allegedly transfused fruit juice instead of blood platelets.
According to Pandey’s relatives, he was administered ‘plasma’ at the Global Hospital when he was admitted there.
But after Pandey’s condition worsened he was shifted to another hospital, where he died.
Following the death, the relatives claimed that they were given sweet lemon juice claiming to be plasma by the hospital.
Hospital denies allegation
The hospital has refuted the allegations and claimed that the plasma was brought by the relatives of the hospital and not supplied by them.
Saurabh Mishra, the owner of the hospital, said that since the patient’s platelets level dropped to 17,000, his relatives were asked to arrange blood platelets for him.
“They brought five units of platelets from SRN Hospital. After a transfusion of three units, the patient had a reaction. So we stopped it,” he said.
Following the controversy, a probe was ordered and a racket involved in selling fake plasma was busted by the police.
“Those arrested so far had not supplied the platelets at Global hospital. Those behind it are yet to be identified,” Senior Superintendent of Police (SSP) Prayagraj, Shailesh Kumar Pandey said.
Gangster act against arrested accused
According to the police, those arrested committed the crime in an organised way, and action against them will be taken under the Gangster Act.
All those sent to jail after being produced before the magistrate, were identified as Raghvendra Patel, Sunil Pandey, Sarfaraz, Dilip Shukla, Pradeep Patel, Yogeshwar Singh, Praveen Patel, Vikas Kumar, Abhishek and Dilip Patel.
Police claimed that Raghvendra, Sarfaraz, Sunil and Dilip Shukla, who were allegedly the kingpin of the racket, worked in a private laboratory and would take plasma from blood banks after payment of fee and sell them to persons in need after packing them in platelet pouches.
“They were aware that it is hard to differentiate between plasma and platelets,” the police said.
The other six gang members, mostly students who lived on rent while preparing for competitive examinations, would get Rs 500 for each delivery of plasma and would sell platelets to the needy.
During interrogation, the accused revealed that many more were involved in the racket.
“One of the accused Ajay would procure plasma with help of one Pradeep Maurya, a hospital staff. Both are absconding. Ajay’s arrest will reveal if the staff at blood banks were involved in the racket,” police said.
Police believe that gangs were active outside blood banks, including at SRN and Beli hospital. “Platelet pouches seized from the accused carried the stamp of Beli hospital,” police said.
