PM regrets man's death at hospital, family seeks compensation (Lead)

Prime Minister Manmohan Singh Wednesday wrote to the family of a man who died at the PGIMER hospital in Chandigarh for want of timely treatment during his visit to the hospital and expressed his regrets. The victim's family has demanded compensation and a job for his kin.

"The prime minister wrote to his family and expressed regret (over the death)," an official at the Prime Minister's Office (PMO) told IANS.

The official added that the prime minister said the death occurred under unfortunate circumstances.

Sumit Prakash Verma, 32, died Tuesday after the vehicle carrying him to the Post-Graduate Institute of Medical Education and Research (PGIMER) Chandigarh could not enter the emergency area in time for treatment, his relatives alleged. The prime minister was at the time visiting the medical college and hospital for its 30th convocation.

The family of Verma, who was suffering from a major kidney ailment and had breathing trouble, alleged that their vehicle that had come from Ambala, 45 km from Chandigarh, was stopped at different gates of the institute by overzealous securitymen, leading to wastage of crucial time

The victim's family, however, Wednesday sought to absolve the prime minister of responsibility for Verma's death and blamed his elite special protection group (SPG) and other security agencies for the incident.

"We don't hold him (prime minister) responsible. It is his security which is at fault," one of Verma's relatives said.

Verma was Wednesday cremated by the family. He is survived by his wife and two minor children. His family has sought compensation for his death and a job for his kin.

"We want the government to do something for the family. He was the only bread-winner. What will they do now?" Verma's nephew Dheeraj said after the cremation in Ambala.

Soon after Verma's death, the PMO sought a report from PGIMER on the circumstances. The hospital, however, said that no one had been stopped from entering the premises.

Authorities and police have denied that the stringent security had anything to do with his death. Tight security measures were in place and some roads and parking areas were blocked by the police during the prime minister's six-hour visit to the city.

Many complained that they could not access the hospital even as the prime minister was telling PGIMER faculty and doctors during the institute's 30th convocation to reach out to the common person.

As the controversy intensified, PGIMER's chief security officer P.C. Sharma said that during the prime minister's visit, no patient was stopped from entering the institute, regarded as one of the best public sector medical facilities in north-western India.

"They could have been diverted to the wrong gate. No one was stopped from entering the PGIMER," Sharma told IANS.

The Chandigarh police also claimed that the patient's car was not stopped. A police spokesperson said the vehicle was, in fact, escorted to the emergency wing of the PGIMER.

Police claim that the PGIMER emergency catered to 32 patients between 8 a.m. and 1 p.m. Tuesday compared to an average of 22 patients since Oct 31. The prime minister was in the complex from 11.30 a.m. till 2.30 p.m.

An executive magistrate here has recorded Verma's wife's statement.

Last updated on Nov 4^th, 2009 at 18:53 pm IST--IANS