Mumbai: Two years after the death of Rajesh Maru, who was killed after being sucked into an MRI machine at BYL Nair Hospital in 2018, his family has finally received an interim compensation of Rs10 lakh from the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC). Dr Ramesh Bharmal, dean, Nair hospital and medical director of civic-run hospitals confirmed this development stating that they had deposited the amount in November 2019 as instructed by the judiciary.
“It was the complete negligence from the hospital’s part for which they had to pay compensation and on January 15, Rs five lakh each was credited to his parents’ bank accounts. He was the sole bread earner of the family and this amount would help his aged parents to sustain until the court gives the final verdict on the compensation amount claimed by the family,” said Harish Solanki, brother-in-law of Maru.
Last year in September, the Bombay High Court held the hospital responsible for negligence and ordered compensation of Rs 10 lakh to Maru’s family. It was learnt that BMC refused to pay the amount citing that they do not have any policy for compensation in negligence cases at civic-run hospitals.
In January 2018, the victim, Rajesh Maru, was visiting a relative who was to undergo an MRI scan in Nair Hospital when the ward boy allegedly asked him to carry an oxygen cylinder to the MRI department. He was pulled in by the magnetic force of the machine as soon as he entered the MRI room and lost his life after excessive inhalation of gas when the cylinder’s knob broke open.
