Imphal: Tension gripped the Regional Institute of Medical Sciences (RIMS), Imphal, on Tuesday after a 52-year-old woman admitted for orthopaedic surgery died at the Intensive Care Unit (ICU), prompting her family to allege medical negligence and staged a protest.
The deceased has been identified as Hijam Ongbi Ibemcha of Awang Sekmai Laipak, Imphal West.
Her sister, Longjam Thoibi, told reporters that Ibemcha was admitted to RIMS on August 13 for treatment of a fracture on her right leg.
According to Thoibi, the surgery was scheduled for Tuesday under the care of associate profesor (Orthopaedics) Dr. Roel Langshong.
“She was taken inside the operation ward at around 10 am. However, around 2 pm, the hospital authority informed us of her death, which we strongly suspect is due to negligence,” Thoibi said.
Following the incident, family members confronted the attending doctor and held a meeting with hospital authorities at the medical superintendent’s office. The relatives demanded an apology from the doctor and the hospital for alleged negligence, or the doctor and anaesthesia doctor should resign. But their demand was rejected.
Quoting the hospital’s response, Thoibi said officials asked the family to shift the body from the ICU to the mortuary for an autopsy.
However, the family refused, suspecting that it could be a strategy to evade responsibility.
Irate relatives and supporters staged a protest at the hospital premises, refusing to accept the body until their demand was met. Tension escalated when the hospital’s private security tried to intervene. The situation was brought under control after Manipur Police rushed to the scene.
Hospital authorities have yet to issue an official statement regarding the cause of death.
Security personnel have been deployed at RIMS to prevent further escalation, while negotiations between the administration and the family were ongoing late in the evening.
The body remained at the ICU.
A case has been lodged by the deceased family at Lamphel police station seeking a thorough investigation.
The incident has once again put the spotlight on patient care and accountability at Manipur’s premier medical institute, with growing calls for an impartial inquiry into the circumstances surrounding Ibemcha’s death.
