Sahyadri Hospital Gets Clean Chit In Pune Couple's Death After Liver Transplant

Pune: A high-level committee of the Health Department has given a clean chit to Sahyadri Hospital in the case of the death of a Pune couple after a liver transplant surgery. The committee has said in its report that there was no error in the treatment of the liver donor and the transplanted patient. The Health Director has even ordered the withdrawal of the moratorium on liver transplant surgeries in the hospital from Thursday, November 27. 

Bapu Komkar, 49, died on August 15 after a liver transplant at Sahyadri Hospital’s Deccan branch, while his wife Kamini, who was the donor, died on August 21. The relatives of the deceased had accused Sahyadri Hospital of negligence in this matter. The Health Department had decided to constitute an eight-member high-level committee to investigate the matter. The committee was formed under the chairmanship of liver transplant expert Dr Mohammed Rela, which submitted its report to the Health Department last month. 

“On the report submitted by the inquiry committee, an 18-member State Advisory Committee headed by the Health Secretary met on November 6. It was decided then to lift the Sahyadri Hospital’s suspension of liver transplant surgeries from November 27,” said an official of the Public Health Department. 

Moreover, Deputy Director of Health Department, Pune, Dr Bhagwan Pawar, said, “A Pune-based couple died at Sahyadri Hospital after a liver transplant. The inquiry committee had submitted a report in this matter. The report has stated that there was no error in the treatment of these patients.” 

Inquiry pending from ‘J. J. Hospital’

The relatives of the Komkar family had filed a complaint in this matter at the Deccan Police Station. Based on this, the Deccan Police had sent a letter to Sassoon Hospital in September demanding an inquiry into the matter. 

The Sassoon Hospital administration refused the inquiry, citing the absence of a gastroenterologist and liver surgeon. Therefore, the Deccan Police sent the case to J. J. Hospital in Mumbai for investigation. Therefore, a committee at J. J. Hospital is investigating the medical negligence in this case.