Trauma centre case:'Administrative lapses' led to deaths, says Delhi Medical Council

The Delhi Medical Council has said that "administrative lapses" led to the deaths of five patients at a trauma centre here in 2012, and recommended that the city government initiate "corrective measures" to prevent a repeat of such incidents.

The council, in a statement today said, it has examined a case referred to it by the Delhi Police in connection with deaths of the patients at the Sushrut Trauma Centre due to "disruption in oxygen supply" at the intensive care unit (ICU).

It has observed that "on the intervening night of December 4 and 5 in 2012, only one employee was posted on duty in the manifold room instead of two technical personnel, which is recommended".
 

"Untrained person said to be technicians were employed by the company to provide oxygen to the ICU at the trauma centre and the annual maintenance contract (AMC) of the pipeline was not renewed timely," the council said.

The medical body also pointed towards the shortage of nursing staff on the night of the incident for managing "five critically patients on ventilator".

It said the doctors and nursing staff performed their duty with proper care.

"In this case there was no medical negligence on the part of doctors, but unfortunately lives were lost, due to administrative lapses, hence the government of Delhi is requested to fix accountability and initiate corrective measures, to prevent such incidents from happening in future," the council said in the statement.

The Sushrut Trauma Centre was established in 1998 for providing critical care management to trauma victims, including for head injury, as an annexe of the Loknayak Hospital under the overall administrative and financial control of the medical superintendent of the LNJP.

In its list of recommendations, it has also said the AMC of all equipment and pipeline should be renewed timely at least a month before the expiry.

"In future, any disruption in the supply of oxygen and such failure should be brought to the notice of the competent authority by the person who is responsible to use the equipment for further rectification of the defect," it added.