The devastating fire at Kolkata's AMRI Hospital on Friday that has already claimed 89 lives is another brazen example of criminal negligence by hospital authorities.
People of Better Treatment, a non-government organisation dedicated for fighting medical negligence in India, on Friday demanded that the people involved with administration of the AMRI Hospital, including all members of the hospital board, must be prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law.
"The license of any doctors involved with this criminal negligence must be suspended immediately by the West Bengal Medical Council," a statement released by PBT also said.
"AMRI and other private hospitals in West Bengal and across India have been reaping enormous profit by brazen violation of medical and ethical norms without caring for the lives of the hapless patients and their families," the statement added.
The PBT has already sent a memorandum on Friday to West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee demanding a transparent investigation and immediate prosecution of all individuals involved with the hospital fire.
"We have also demanded immediate compensation of at least Rs 50 lakh for each family of deceased and Rs 20 lakh for each of the injured individuals," the statement said.
In fact only seven weeks back, PBT president Dr Kunal Saha received a compensation of Rs 1.7 crore from the National Consumer Forum, highest in Indian history, against the AMRI Hospital and three other Kolkata doctors for causing death of his wife Dr Anuradha Saha, a USA-based child psychologist.
"An appeal is being filed to the Supreme Court seeking an enhancement of this compensation to Rs. 97 crore (plus interest). The AMRI Hospital cannot shy away from their responsibility for paying the compensation for causing death of my wife from medical negligence on the plea of the fire today", the statement added.
