Apollo questions Kumaramangalam diagnosis

Apollo questions Kumaramangalam diagnosis
EXPRESS NEWS SERVICE

NEW DELHI, SEPTEMBER 13: Virtually challenging the diagnosis of doctors at the All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS), Apollo Hospital today said in a statement it was ``highly improbable'' that P R Kumaramangalam had acute myeloid leukaemia (blood cancer) and that they had failed to diagnose it when he was under their treatment four months before his death last month.

The Minister, who was admitted in Apollo Hospital with fever and discharged a few days later, was diagnosed to be suffering from leukaemia four months later when he was admitted in AIIMS in a critical condition. He died on August 23.

In the statement released to the Press, Apollo Hospital said ``in a wide variety of tests that they conducted on the late leader, our doctors did not find any evidence of acute myeloid leukaemia, the condition he is purported to have been diagnosed with in his last days, nor did they find any evidence of the possibility that he might come down with it in the future.''

``Why it was asked did our doctors fail to identify the condition that finally consumed him?'' it posed. And explaining this, it said its tests never came across any evidence of acute myeloid leukaemia.

It added on a categorical note: ``That he may have had indications of acute myeloid leukaemia and that Apollo may have failed to diagnose these are highly improbable since no abnormal cells were detected in any of the various blood tests conducted on Mr Kumaramangalam.''

The hospital said Kumaramangalam was admitted to Apollo Hospital on April 14 with fever and was treated with antibiotics for urinary tract infection. On the ninth day there was remission and he was discharged on April 23. The battery of investigations done was negative on TB and malignancy (indications of cancer) it said. It said it was ``satisfied with the line of treatment already given''.

Dr J.N.Pande, Head of Department of Medicine at AIIMS, who headed the team of doctors which treated Kumaramangalam as he lay in a coma, said he had nothing to say on Apollo's remarks.

Meanwhile, Union Health Minister C.P.Thakur today told reporters that he would not rule out even cancellation of Apollo's licence if so required. He said this in context of the Government probe into allegations of laxity on the part of Apollo in detecting the ailment of Kumaramangalam.

Thakur said at a Press conference here today that the inquiry committee has sought a week's time for submitting the report. He said the probe was almost complete but the committee, headed by Medical Superintendent of RML Hospital C N Singh, has sought time till Monday to furnish the report. The report could be made public after that, he added.

Thakur in a separate statement said Government policy on giving benefits to charitable trusts or corporate houses for setting up hospitals needed to be reviewed in the light of the Apollo experience. He said penal action was being contemplated against hospitals run by charitable trusts or private medical institutes which have been reportedly violating conditions laid down by the Government.