Action after outrage: MGM cracks down after ailing boy’s stretcher ordeal

Indore: Following public outrage over a viral video showing the parents of an ailing child pushing him on a stretcher between MY Hospital and the Super Speciality Hospital under the scorching sun, MGM Medical College on Monday took disciplinary action against staff and service providers found responsible for lapses in patient care.

Dean Arvind Ghanghoria ordered the immediate termination of the Security In-charge and Help Desk In-charge, citing operational negligence. A seven-day salary cut was imposed on Dr Anurag Shrivastava, while three on-duty nurses faced a one-day salary deduction for dereliction of duty.

The hospital also fined outsourced service provider BVG Company Rs 1 lakh and recommended to the state govt that the firm be blacklisted. Show-cause notices were issued to MY Hospital Superintendent Dr Ashok Yadav and Neurosurgeon Dr Paresh Sondhiya over alleged administrative shortcomings.

The incident involved 11-year-old Adarsh Malak, who suffers from a serious spinal neurological condition as well as Hypohidrotic Ectodermal Dysplasia, a rare genetic disorder that prevents normal sweat gland development and makes him highly susceptible to heat.

On Saturday, doctors advised the family to take Adarsh to the Super Speciality Hospital, nearly a kilometre away, for the fitting of a specialised spinal belt. However, after waiting for an ambulance and support staff without success, his parents were forced to push him on a stretcher through the intense heat.

To shield her son from the harsh weather, his mother repeatedly covered him with a water-soaked cloth during the journey. After completing the required formalities, the family had to make the return trip to MY Hospital in the same manner. Adarsh is currently undergoing further treatment at MY Hospital.