The National Human Rights Commission has sent a notice to a state-run hospital in Uttarakhand after a man was reportedly declared dead eight hours before his actual death and his body was sent to a mortuary in Haridwar.
 

Quoting media reports carried on January 20, the rights panel has said the 44-year-old patient was declared dead by the doctors at the BHEL Hospital at 11.30 pm on January 12, the day he was rushed to the facility after he complained of chest pain and collapsed. The NHRC today said the post-mortem carried out the next day showed the man was "alive for eight hours" after the doctors had declared him dead.

Taking suo motu cognisance of the media reports, the NHRC has sent a notice to the chairman of the Bharat Heavy Electricals Limited (BHEL) and the medical superintendent of the BHEL Hospital, Haridwar, seeking a detailed response within six weeks along with action taken against the guilty doctors and relief provided to the family of the deceased. "It is possible that by providing appropriate treatment in time, the life of the deceased could be saved," the rights body said in a statement.

"A precious human life has been lost. The inhuman act done by the doctors has violated the right to life and health care of the deceased." According to the media reports, the man was an employee of the BHEL. "He was declared dead by doctors at 11.30 pm and his body was shifted to the mortuary. The next day, a post-mortem was conducted, during which it was revealed that his death had occurred about six hours before the postmortem i.e. at around 8.00 am -- a gap of more than 8 hours after the patient was declared dead," the NHRC said.

The brother of the deceased has lodged a complaint for the alleged negligence of the doctors, it said. Reportedly, on Friday the chief medical officer ordered a probe into the incident after the police forwarded a complaint filed by the victim's kin, the NHRC said.