The Uttar Pradesh government on Wednesday informed the Allahabad High Court that surgeries were being conducted at Amethi’s Sanjay Gandhi Hospital, even though the hospital did not possess a valid licence to perform such procedures.
This revelation came during a hearing of a petition filed by the hospital, which is run by a trust led by Congress leader Sonia Gandhi. The hospital challenged the suspension of its license following the death of a patient earlier in the month.
A division bench comprising Justice Vivek Choudhary and Justice Manish Kumar sought details of the investigation into the patient’s death. The licence for Sanjay Gandhi Hospital was suspended on September 17, and the facility was sealed after a woman, admitted for a minor operation, passed away on September 14. Her husband has alleged that her death resulted from an overdose of anesthesia.
During the hearing, the Additional Chief Standing Counsel, representing the State Government, informed the court that surgeries were indeed being performed at the hospital, despite the facility lacking the necessary licence. The court directed the government counsel to obtain instructions from the state regarding the completion of the investigation into the patient’s death.
The court then scheduled the next hearing for October 3. In the meantime, Congress leader Deepak Singh and Sanjay Gandhi Hospital employees organized separate protests in Amethi to protest the hospital’s licence suspension. Over 400 employees began an indefinite demonstration at the hospital gate on Tuesday, while Singh initiated another protest at the office of the chief medical officer on Monday. Singh received support from the Samajwadi Party and the AAP on this issue.
