PMO asks Principal Secretary to act in Amrita case

Manav Mander

Tribune News Service

Ludhiana, August 23

The Prime Minister’s Office has directed the Chief Secretary, Punjab, to take action in the Amrita death case. It has been nearly a year since Raj Kumar Sathi, the victim’s brother-in-law, wrote to the PMO referring to the Amrita case. Finally, he has got a copy of the letter written by the PMO to the Chief Secretary, Punjab. The letter also mentions that the reply should be uploaded on the portal.

Three patients, Ruby, Sujata and Amrita, had died following delivery at the Mother and Child Hospital (located on the Civil Hospital premises) between November 29 and December 2, 2015. Their condition deteriorated allegedly after injections were administered to them. Sathi has been pursuing the case since then. He has also approached the Punjab State Information Commission that has asked the Director, Research Medical Education, to appear before it on September 6.

After the death of the three women, then Principal Secretary, Health, Vini Mahajan, had formed a three-member committee to find the actual reason behind the women’s death. But the findings of the committee have not come out yet. Officials are just pointing fingers at each other.

Sathi filed a complaint with the commission in January this year to know about the findings of the report. “It has been nearly two years but I have been unable to know about the findings of the inquiry committee. The offices concerned are blaming each other. Precious lives were lost but nobody seems to be bothered about it. The inquiry committee was a mere eyewash because nobody is coming up with the report. I hope after the letter from the PMO, something will be done,” he said.

Dr Anjali Bhawara, principal Secretary, Health, said she was not specifically aware about the letter since they receive so many letters everyday. “But if a letter has been sent to us, we will definitely take action and upload our answer on the portal,” she said.