A formal complaint has been filed with the Directorate General of Health Services (DGHS) against United Hospital, alleging medical negligence and improper post-operative care led to the demise of an elderly patient.
The complaint was lodged by Rakib Uddin, the deceased's son, who has called for a thorough investigation and justice for his father.
According to Rakib, his father, who was nearly 80 years old, required an aortic valve replacement and was presented with two options: Open-heart surgery or the less invasive but costly Transcatheter Aortic Valve Implantation (TAVI).
The family opted for TAVI, which was performed on 9 December last year.
However, serious complications arose during the procedure, leading to uncontrolled internal bleeding.
Despite reassurances from doctors that all was well, the situation quickly deteriorated.
By noon on the day of the procedure, his father was moved to the Critical Care Unit (CCU), where doctors struggled to control internal bleeding.
The family later discovered that the TAVI procedure had inadvertently punctured the heart, causing severe haemorrhaging.
An emergency open-heart surgery was conducted in the evening to locate and seal the source of bleeding, leaving the patient in a precarious condition.
Post-surgery, the patient developed multiple complications, including pneumonia, severe respiratory distress, and infections.
Rakib alleged that the hospital’s standard of post-operative care was appallingly inadequate.
He claimed that his father, a critically ill patient, was transferred to a general room in a wheelchair instead of being attended to with the necessary medical precautions.
Furthermore, junior nurses were left in charge, and no senior medical professionals were consistently present to oversee the case.
On 20 December, his father's condition worsened, and he was readmitted to the CCU.
Subsequently, his health further deteriorated, with doctors informing the family that he had developed a chest infection and kidney failure.
Over the course of 12 dialysis sessions, 16 bags of whole blood, and 11 bags of platelets were administered.
Despite such drastic interventions, Rakib alleged that no medical board was convened to review his father’s case, and a lack of coordination among doctors compounded the crisis.
Rakib is now urging the DGHS to conduct an impartial investigation and hold the hospital authorities accountable.
He emphasised that no other family should endure such suffering due to alleged medical negligence.
United Hospital has yet to issue a formal response regarding the allegations.