4 suspended, 2 dismissed after woman dies in Thane civic hospital

THANE: Four hospital staff members have been suspended and two others dismissed following the death of a 43-year-old woman at Bai Rukminibai Hospital in Kalyan. The disciplinary action comes after a preliminary inquiry revealed a critical delay in shifting Savita Govind Biradar to a higher medical facility for specialist treatment, sparking public outrage and raising concerns about emergency response systems in public hospitals.

This marks the second such death in a government hospital; earlier, a 30-year-old man died at Central Hospital in Ulhasnagar, allegedly due to a delay in ambulance services.

The deceased woman’s daughter, Anjali Birajdar, along with her brother and several relatives, staged a protest in front of the Kalyan-Dombivali Municipal Corporation (KDMC) office on Monday evening. “At around 1.15 pm on May 5, 2025, my mother was admitted to the accident ward of Rukminibai Hospital with complaints of weakness in her left arm,” she said. “It took them four hours to arrange for a single ambulance. My mother was everything to us, and these people need to understand the value of a human life.”

During an investigation conducted by senior KDMC officers, it was mentioned in the official statement that the duty doctor, Dr Umer Patel, who was appointed through an external agency, initially examined the patient and suspected a cerebrovascular accident (stroke). Dr Patel then referred the case to Dr Nishikant Sharma, a specialist physician at the hospital.

Upon examining the patient, Dr Sharma recommended urgent neurological intervention and advised that the patient be transferred to KEM Hospital, Mumbai, or Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj Hospital, Kalwa, for advanced treatment. A referral letter was issued at 2 pm.

The Delay

When the patient’s relatives were informed about arranging transport, they tried to contact the government emergency ambulance service (108) but were informed that no ambulance was available.

On-duty nurses Komal Dighe, Namita Bhoye, and Sister-in-Charge Jayashree Raikar notified the hospital vehicle driver at 2.15 pm to prepare for the patient’s transfer. However, the ambulance became available only at 3.10 pm, causing a critical delay of nearly one hour.

As the patient was being moved into the ambulance, her condition deteriorated, and she had to be brought back to the emergency room again. During this time, the driver of the ambulance, Maruti Nikam, took the vehicle away to fill diesel, a move that was highly irresponsible during a critical emergency.

Upon re-examination, the attending doctor found that the patient’s pulse and blood pressure were unmeasurable. Emergency Cardiopulmonary Resuscitation was initiated, and the patient was administered injections of atropine and adrenaline, and oxygen, but she did not respond. Despite all efforts, Biradar was declared dead at 3.45 pm.

Following a preliminary investigation by the medical health department, it was concluded that had the patient been shifted in time, her life could possibly have been saved. Based on the findings, disciplinary action against six staff members was approved by the commissioner.