PM expresses regret to family of dead patient

Prime Minister Manmohan Singh on Wednesday wrote to the wife of a 32-year old kidney patient who died during the prime minister's visit to Post Graduate Institute of Medical Education and Research hospital in Chandigarh, expressing regret over the restrictions in security due to which the man could not get quick access for medical treatment.

Taking note of public inconvenience caused due to VVIP security movements, Singh said he has issued instructions to ensure that the authorities were "more sensitive" to the concerns of the common man while making security arrangements.

In a letter to the wife of the deceased 32-year-old kidney patient, he said, "I am writing to you to express my profound sense of sadness at the death of your husband Shri Sumit Verma yesterday."

Verma's family claimed that they were shunted from one gate to another for two hours on Tuesday by the personnel deployed for the PM's security despite being told that the patient was critical.

The hospital said he was brought dead to the emergency ward.

Observing that the patient could not get access to the PGIMER hospital in time because of the restrictions in place for his visit, the prime minister said, "This is something I deeply regret."

Singh was at the institute on the occasion of the annual convocation function.