Woman’s death in 2024 during ‘routine’ surgery not natural, finds panel; 6 doctors of Chembur hospital now booked

Mumbai: An expert committee of JJ Hospital has concluded that six doctors from a Govandi hospital grossly deviated from routine practice by not informing police to conduct an inquest or facilitate a postmortem examination after the death of a young woman during an operation in June 2024.Najma Rizwan Sheikh (27) died while undergoing what the doctors of Sheetla Hospital said was a “routine” gynaecological procedure. The doctors told family members that she suffered a “major heart failure” and allegedly discouraged them from seeking a postmortem examination.The JJ Hospital report has now concluded that Sheikh’s death cannot be called “natural”, paving the way on Monday for Chembur police to register an offence against the six doctors. The committee said the cause of death mentioned on the death certificate—pulmonary embolism—could not be justified beyond doubt.In cases alleging medical negligence, the protocol is for police to not register a criminal case (FIR) against a doctor without getting an independent medical opinion or an expert committee’s report. In Sheikh’s case, the process took two years.Police have booked Dr Ayesh Ansari, Dr Justine Brothers, Dr Neha Sethia, Dr Yogesh Khethani, Dr Arjun and Dr Vasudev Khethani under Sections 202 (intentional omission to give information of offence by person bound to inform) and 304-A (causing death by negligence) of Indian Penal Code.Sheikh reportedly had problems conceiving as she had earlier undergone treatment for drug-resistant tuberculosis.TB is a leading cause for female infertility. She consulted Dr Ansari at Sheetla Hospital who allegedly advised surgery due to “abnormal uterine shape”.On June 21, 2024, her family took her to hospital early in the morning and was informed that the procedure was routine and would take a few hours. But shortly after the surgery began, the relatives noticed unusual movement. The complainant alleged that Dr Ansari, Dr Brothers and Dr Sethia urgently called additional doctors into the operation theatre. Nurses and ward staff were allegedly seen rushing in and out carrying blood-soaked cotton and medical supplies, according to the complaint.The doctors later informed the family that the patient had suffered a “major heart failure” during surgery and she was declared dead around 1.30pm. The complainant further alleged that doctors persuaded her husband to not insist on a postmortem examination.A death certificate mentioning “pulmonary embolism” as the cause of death was issued, and the body was buried without a postmortem examination.The complainant later approached police alleging negligence and suppression of information by the treating doctors. This led to the setting up of the JJ Hospital expert committee, which observed that the death during the operative procedure was not informed to police for inquest and medico-legal postmortem examination, amounting to a “gross deviation from routine practice” and the death cannot be concluded as natural.