Yashoda Hospital: Man Alleges Medical Negligence Claimed Wife’s Life
Yashoda Hospital: Senior Citizen Alleges Medical Negligence Claimed Wife’s Life
On February 2, 2024, 77-year-old Savita Sharma was admitted to Yashoda Superspeciality Hospital & Cancer Institute in Sanjay Nagar, Ghaziabad, for the treatment of a stomach ulcer. Two weeks and two surgeries later, she passed away, leaving her 79-year-old husband, Vijay Kumar Sharma, to demand answers.
In a letter to the Prime Minister, Sharma has called for action against the negligent doctors stating: “The surgery failed due to the carelessness and incompetence of the surgeons at Yashoda Hospital.”
“They Played With the Life of My Wife”
Vijay Kumar Sharma alleges that the hospital’s mishandling of his wife’s care began shortly after her admission. “She was taken to the emergency room, and they immediately shifted her to the ICU. Doctors said that she had anemia, and she was given blood. They did an endoscopy, and doctors at Yashoda Hospital said that she had an ulcer in her abdomen and that she needed immediate surgery,” he recounts.
The first surgery took place on February 7, lasting five to six hours. Doctors informed him that Savita’s condition was poor, citing clots in her stomach and multiple complications. On February 8, she developed a biliary leakage, which they deemed serious enough to require a second surgery. “They played with the life of my wife. They said a better surgery was available and they would do that during the second operation on her. My question is, if there was a better option available, why didn’t they do it in the first instance only? I asked the surgeon why such an experiment was being done on a senior citizen,” notes Sharma.
The second surgery proceeded on February 9, but the biliary leakage persisted. On February 14, at around 12:53 a.m., Savita Sharma passed away. “My hands were tied. Since the death of my wife, I have been running from pillar to post for justice. I wrote to the Prime Minister, the Chief Minister of Uttar Pradesh, the District Magistrate of Ghaziabad, the CMO of Ghaziabad, and many others. Yashoda Hospital has not been responding well to my queries. Though a medical board has been constituted to look into the matter, the case is moving at a very slow pace,” states Sharma.
In his pursuit of justice, Sharma has faced a frustrating journey. He first wrote to the Chairman of Yashoda Hospital and also reached out to the surgeon who had operated on his wife but received no response. He then escalated his pleas to Prime Minister Narendra Modi, BJP President J.P. Nadda, and Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath. The PM’s office forwarded his letter to the CM, which was later transferred to the office of the Chief Medical Officer, Ghaziabad.
However, though initially, the CMO constituted a team to investigate the matter, the team stated that the matter had to be examined by a high-level medical team as the current team lacked the expertise to examine the issue. The case was then referred to Lala Lajpat Rai Memorial Medical College in Meerut, and a medical board was constituted to look into the matter.
In his letter to Dr. Dheeraj, the inquiry officer at LLRM Medical College in Meerut, Sharma has stated: “All reports were normal or near normal, including that of kidney function, at the time of her admission on 2 February 2024… After the surgery on 7 February 2024, however, the kidney function became abnormal… The second surgery on February 9, 2024, also failed… My wife finally couldn’t fight the hospital’s and surgeons failures anymore and expired on 14 February 2024. Heartbrokenly, I kept on helplessly seeing my wife slowly dwindling away each day until she breathed her last on the intervening night of 13/14 February at 12:53 AM.”
‘I Don’t Want Their Money, I Want Justice’
Despite his efforts, Sharma has not filed a lawsuit against the hospital. While speaking to The Probe an emotional Sharma stated, “If I file a lawsuit, at the most they would give me a compensation. But I don’t want compensation. I cannot put a price tag on my wife’s life. She was too precious for me. But yes, I want the negligent doctors to be brought to task. I will keep fighting for justice till my last breath.”
He also accused Yashoda Hospital of exploiting his loss. “They initially told the treatment would cost around 3.25 lakh rupees, but after the failed surgery, they charged me 7-8 lakh rupees. How can the hospital charge for the failed surgery? They should refund the amount. I don’t want the money. I will donate it to CM's or PM’s relief fund but what the hospital did is wrong," asserts Sharma.
In his letter to the Prime Minister, Sharma has demanded an investigation into the role of the surgeons responsible for his wife’s treatment, arguing that medical negligence should not go unchecked. He insists that erring doctors must be held publicly accountable to ensure no patient’s life is jeopardised due to carelessness in the future.
“When the doctors write on their profile that we have done so many surgeries and we have 40 years of experience, they should also write about how many failed surgeries they have done. I have written to the PM about this,” notes Sharma.
Beyond seeking justice for his wife, Sharma has highlighted several unethical practices in private hospitals that, he says, must be curbed immediately. One of his key concerns is the financial burden imposed on patients when a second surgery becomes necessary due to complications from the first. He questions why patients should be charged again for corrective procedures, arguing that instead, they should be compensated for the pain and trauma endured.
Emphasising the financial vulnerability of senior citizens, especially those without pensions or health insurance, Sharma has urged the Prime Minister to direct the Union Health Ministry and state governments to issue strict guidelines to private hospitals and medical associations such as the Indian Medical Association (IMA). He believes such measures would go a long way in alleviating the suffering of millions, particularly the elderly, who often struggle to afford quality healthcare.
The Probe sought responses from the Chairman of Yashoda hospital and the surgeon in question, but has been unable to reach them despite multiple attempts. We have also reached out to the Ghaziabad CMO for a comment. This story will be updated as soon as responses are received from them.
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