Thane: Family Of Woman Who Died Due To Alleged Medical Negligence Approaches State Human Rights Commission

The family of 35-year-old Varsha Patil, who died allegedly due to medical negligence, has now approached the State Human Rights Commission (SHRC), accusing authorities of failing to investigate the case properly and take action against the responsible doctors.

According to the complaint filed with the SHRC, the family alleged that the investigation into Varsha’s death was deliberately mismanaged. Despite multiple medical reports, the Thane Civil Surgeon has refused to issue a medical negligence report, and the post-mortem report allegedly contains false information regarding the cause of death.

Following the complaint,  SHRC, thus have issued summons to DCP, Zone-5 and Dy Director of Health Services, Thane Division, thereby asking them to submit fact finding inquiry report and directing them to appear before the commission through representative on April 22. 

Varsha’s father, Narendra Patil, recounted that on October 9, 2022, his daughter experienced fluid loss and was rushed to Dr. Datta Panandikar’s hospital in Thane. However, doctors allegedly failed to provide immediate treatment to the death of the unborn child in the uterus. Due to delays in removing the deceased fetus, a severe infection spread through Varsha’s body, causing multiple organ complications.

She was then shifted to Jupiter Hospital for an abortion procedure, but by then, the infection had already affected her kidneys, making them dysfunctional. Her condition deteriorated, and on October 12, 2022, Varsha was declared dead.

The complaint copy further alleges, following Varsha’s death, Jupiter Hospital refused to provide a clear reason. As a result, her body was sent for post-mortem at Thane Civil Hospital. However, the maternal death report issued on May 31, 2023, stated that there was no medical error in her treatment, a claim strongly contested by the family.

Narendra Patil said he approached multiple authorities, including the then Municipal Commissioner of Thane, Abhijit Bangar (August 2023), and District Collector of Thane, Ashok Shingare (November 2023), seeking a fair investigation. However, despite their orders, there was no progress in uncovering the real cause of his daughter’s death.

Finally, on October 26, 2023, he wrote to Union Health Minister Mansukh Mandaviya, who, upon reviewing the case, ordered an inquiry and demanded a report within five days.

As a result, a seven-member medical committee was formed on May 22, 2024, which issued a third maternal death report. The report classified Varsha’s death as “Type-3 Delay”—a case of death caused due to delayed medical treatment. The report also pointed to negligence on the part of Dr. Panandikar.

Despite clear findings of negligence, the family claims that no action has been taken against the doctors involved. In their complaint to SHRC, they have demanded that the police be directed to file an FIR against those responsible for Varsha’s death.

When contacted by the Free Press Journal, Dr. Datta Panandikar denied any wrongdoing, stating, “There has been no negligence in this case from my side.”