Question over patient's death at hospital
A patient died yesterday at the Square Hospitals after she was taken off life support without her family's consent, alleged family members.
"They [the hospital] didn't even feel it necessary to inform me about their decision of withdrawing the life support," alleged Mohammad Ziauddin, the deceased's husband.
The dead, Momtaz Zia, was admitted to the hospital on October 19 following her second cardiac arrest. She was put on life support on the day. However, she was removed from life support on October 23 and again given the service the next day as her condition worsened.
The hospital's Management Support Service Manager Col Nurul Alam did not comment on the family's allegation when the reporter met him at the hospital around 11:00pm.
Zia also alleged that no physician was present from 3:30pm when his wife had been removed from life support.
"She began to choke after her life support had been removed," alleged Zia, who entered the hospital's Coronary Care Unit (CCU) around 4:30pm to see her wife.
An hour later, Zia was informed that his wife's condition was worsening. After arriving at the CCU again, he found Momtaz dead.
According to Zia, the on-duty nurse at the CCU told him that the doctor had decided to run a test trial to see whether the patient could survive on her own.
"I simply fail to understand how the life support of a dying patient could be withdrawn," said Dr Ibrahim Bhuiyan, Momtaz's friend.
"Even if the doctor felt it was necessary, the trial should be completed within 10 to 15 minutes."
Tanjima Bony, Momtaz's niece, claimed that the hospital threatened to stop Momtaz's treatment on the seventh day of her admission, if they (the family) did not pay hospital bills immediately.
"I paid Tk 1,50,000 on that day and Tk 4,00,000 later," said Bony.
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