Health Ministry forms high level committee to probe on Manmohan incident

Kathmandu - The Health Ministry has formed a high level committee to probe into the incident occurred at the Manmohan Medical College. 

The probe team has the coordinator Dr Pushpa Chaudhary, chief specialist at Ministry, while the members are Joint Secretary Sanat KC, Executive Director at Human Organs Transplantation Centre, Dr Pukar Chandra Shrestha, Undersecretary Bhawanath Khatiwada, urologist at Bir Hospital, Dr Anil Shrestha, Under-secretary of legal section at Ministry, Shambhu Regmi, and section officer Rewati Raman Sharma. 

The family and relatives of Shiva Prasad Rimal from Bidur municipality-12 of Nuwakot district have been protesting against the Manmohan Medical College, arguing that the doctors involved in operation wiped out a kidney, so the victim be provided justice. 

The Ministry formed the probe panel after the lawmakers voiced for it at Legislature-Parliament meeting last Friday. 

The 32–year old Rimal, who had returned home from overseas job a year back, got admitted at the hospital on June 5. He underwent surgery three days later. 

The family and the relatives then have been complaining that the hospital did not inform them in the beginning about the need of wiping out kidney but made agreement post operation to conceal the blunder and seeking justice. 

The hospital administration has already clarified through a press conference that the patient's kidney had to be extracted to save him from excessive bleeding in course of the operation. 

Hospital director Dr. Dharma Raj Subedi said that the patient's kidney was taken out with the full consent of his family members, adding that now they were blaming the hospital due to greed. 

The hospital administration had reached a six-point agreement with the patient's relatives after it operated out the kidney in course of operating upon him to remove the gall stones. However, the patient and his relatives have called for Rs 5 million in compensation demanding an explanation from the hospital as to the reason for removing the kidney. 

The patient has charged the hospital of removing his kidney for some other purpose. 

Although internal blood hemorrhage has been cited as the reason for removing the kidney, the six-point agreement reached between the hospital and the patient's relatives states that the patient would be provided kidney transplant if necessary, would be provided free medical treatment for his entire life, his entire medical expenses including for medicines would be written off, the hospital would provide free health treatment and education to the patient's two sons and make arrangements for providing employment to the patient and his wife. It is also stated in the agreement that the hospital shall buy life insurance policy for the patient. 

After news about extraction of the kidney came in the media, the Urological Surgeons Association Nepal has, through a press release on Saturday, demanded a proper investigation into the incident and to find out the truth, stating it is wrong to level baseless accusations on a doctor involved in the operation.