The Tribune: Ludhiana: Wednesday, May 31, 2017.
The Punjab
State Information Commission has now summoned Public Information Officer of the
Principal Secretary (Health) to appear before it on June 28 in connection with
the death of patient Amrita on November 27, 2015, who had her C-Section at the
Mother and Child Hospital.
Gurdeep Singh
Kalyan, Joint Director, Research and Medical Education, appeared before the
Punjab State Information Commission today.
Raj Kumar
Sathi who had filed a complaint with the Commission was also present. Chairman
of the commission Nidharak Singh Brar heard both sides. Dr Kalyan in his reply
to the commission said the inquiry report was secret and was submitted to the
then Principal Secretary, Health, Vinni Mahajan. The commission has now called
PIO Principal Secretary, Health, on June 28.
Amrita went
through a C-section at the Mother and Child Hospital. After delivery, she was
referred to the Christian Medical College and Hospital (CMCH), where she died
on November 27, 2015.
An
investigation committee was formed under Director Medical Research and
Education Dr Manjit Kaur Mohie to investigate into the death. But so far no
report has been released by the committee.
Raj Kumar,
brother-in-law of Amrita, had been pursuing the case since then. In February
2016, he asked for the report of the investigation committee, but he failed to
receive any. He then asked for the report through RTI, but did not get any
reply from Director, Health. In January 2017, he wrote to the Punjab State
Information Commissioner, who summoned four officials.
Earlier, the
Punjab State Information Commissioner had also summoned, Deputy Director Health
Dr Sunil Pathak and Assistant Civil Surgeon Dr Mohinderpal Singh for failing to
give a reply to RTI plea and not giving the copy of investigation report of
Amrita`s death case.
Deputy
Director, Health, Punjab, is the appellant authority-cum-Nodal officer of
Health and Family Welfare Department, Punjab, and the Assistant Civil Surgeon
is the Public Information Officer at the Civil Surgeon Office in Ludhiana. They
have been summoned on June 5 now.