Woman officer in Jodhpur dies after surgery, inquiry ordered following allegations of negligence

33-year-old officer of the Rajasthan Administrative Service was operated upon in a private hospital in Jodhpur on September 6, after which her condition had deteriorated

A 33-year-old woman officer of the Rajasthan Administrative Service (RAS), Priyanka Bishnoi, died late on Wednesday while undergoing treatment in Ahmedabad following a surgery in Jodhpur, where she was posted as Assistant Collector. She was operated upon in a private hospital in Jodhpur on September 6, after which her condition had deteriorated.

Jodhpur Collector Gaurav Agrawal ordered an inquiry after Bishnoi’s relatives alleged medical negligence and said that she was administered excessive anaesthesia during her stomach surgery. A five-member committee of doctors, led by the Principal of the Sampurnanand Medical College in Jodhpur, will submit a report after the inquiry.

Bishnoi, a 2016 batch RAS officer and a native of Bikaner district, was referred to CIMS Hospital in Ahmedabad when she went into a coma and was unable to recover after the surgery in Jodhpur. Her father-in-law Sahiram Bishnoi said the officer had died because of medical negligence and demanded strict action against the surgeons at the Jodhpur hospital.

Bishnoi was transferred as Deputy Commissioner with the Jodhpur North Municipal Corporation earlier this month, but had not taken charge as yet. Her relatives, accompanied by the activists of the Bishnoi community, staged a dharna at the All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS) in Jodhpur following the post-mortem, with the demand for the registration of a criminal case against the private hospital where her surgery was performed.

Jodhpur West Deputy Commissioner of Police Rajarshi Raj Verma convinced the protesters to lift the dharna and take the body for cremation. Mr. Verma said there were Supreme Court guidelines as well as the State government’s standard operating procedure with regard to the registration of a case of medical negligence, and assured that the police would take action after the committee submitted its report.

Bishnoi’s relatives left for Surpura village in Phalodi with her body for cremation after talks with police officers on Thursday. Chief Minister Bhajan Lal Sharma condoled the officer’s death, saying her demise was “extremely sad”.

Published - September 19, 2024 11:30 pm IST