A 35-year-old woman died after undergoing a tooth extraction at a private dental clinic in Palamu, with officials suspecting that the procedure may not have been carried out by a registered doctor, according to a report by The Indian Express.
The deceased has been identified as Bijanti Devi (35). She underwent the procedure on Tuesday at a private facility identified as Janata Dental Clinic in Hariharganj. An FIR was registered based on a complaint by her husband Mukesh Chandra Bharti (36), a resident of Aurangabad.
According to the FIR copy accessed by Indian Express, Bharti alleged that his wife died due to "incorrect administration of injections or medication" during the treatment. According to Bharti, he brought his wife to the clinic at around 10:30 am after she developed a dental problem.
"She had a partly broken tooth that was causing pain, and since some villagers had taken treatment there earlier, we contacted the doctor and went there, specifically travelling to Palamu for this," Bharti was quoted as saying by the Indian Express.
He said the dentist, identified as Ashraf Ali, examined her, checked her blood pressure and advised a blood sugar test, which showed a level of around 140. "After that, she was taken inside, given injections to numb the area, and the tooth was removed," he said.
About an hour later, the doctor prescribed medicines and advised another injection. Bharti said, "a compounder administered the injection, and immediately after it was given, she began vomiting and her condition worsened," he added.
"Within minutes, her face became pale and she stopped responding. The doctor said he would arrange an ambulance, but instead he locked the clinic and ran away," he claimed.
With the help of locals, Bharti shifted his wife first to a nearby private child hospital and later to the community health centre in Hariharganj, where she was declared dead. "She had already died by the time we reached," he said.
Police said a case has been registered based on the complaint and an investigation is underway. Officials cited by the newspaper confirmed that a postmortem has been conducted and further action will be taken after the report is received.
Meanwhile, Palamu Civil Surgeon Anil Shrivastava told IE that the clinic has been sealed and pointed to possible irregularities in its functioning. Officials said both the accused and the compounder are currently absconding.
The Civil Surgeon added that authorities are examining the exact cause of death, including the type of drugs administered and whether proper medical procedures were followed during the treatment.
Essential Business Intelligence, Continuous LIVE TV, Sharp Market Insights, Practical Personal Finance Advice and Latest Stories — On NDTV Profit.
