Scrapping hospital licence upheld

BANGALORE: Setting aside a single bench order, the High Court on Tuesday upheld a government order and vacated a stay on the  cancellation of licence to Fortis Hospital in connection with the death of a patient on May 6, 2010, due to alleged medical negligence.The petitioner, one Pankaj Rai, had contended that his wife Seema was admitted to Fortis Hospital for kidney transplantation, but died in hospital.Following her death, Rai in his complaint to the Karnataka Medical Council (KMC) had alleged that the hospital had transplanted Seema’s liver and pancreas simultaneously though they did not have the licence for transplantation of pancreas. The Karnataka Medical Council  had then given a clean chit to the hospital. The petitioner had later approached the Lokayukta seeking action.The Lokayukta, however, in its report on May 2011, indicted the hospital for not having necessary licences under the Human Organ Transplantation Act.Hearing the petition, a division bench comprising Justice D V Shylendra Kumar and Justice Govindarajulu vacated the stay and directed it to be listed for final hearing .