In a heart-wrenching incident, Vijay Kumar Sharma, a 79-year-old widower from Ghaziabad, has accused Yashoda Super Specialty Hospital and Cancer Institute in Sanjay Nagar of medical negligence that he believes resulted in his wife’s death. His 77-year-old wife, Savita Sharma, was admitted on February 2, 2024, for the treatment of a stomach ulcer. Two surgeries were done in a span of two weeks, and she passed away on February 14, 2024, leaving her husband devastated and seeking justice.
The Alleged Sequence of Events
According to Sharma, the suffering began when Savita was admitted to the emergency room and immediately shifted to the ICU. The doctors diagnosed her with anemia and started blood transfusions. An endoscopy revealed an ulcer in the abdomen, prompting the need for urgent surgery. The first surgery took place on February 7, lasting for five to six hours. Post-surgery, doctors informed Vijay that his wife’s condition is critical, and there are complications like clots in her stomach.
The situation became worse when on February 8, Savita developed a biliary leakage, which was serious enough to need a second surgery. Sharma expressed his concerns, questioning why a better surgical option was not considered before. Despite his concerns, the second surgery happened on February 9, but the leakage persisted. Tragically, Savita passed away on the night of February 14 at 12:53 AM.
They played with the life of my wife. They said a better surgery was available and they would do that during the second operation on her. My question is, if there was a better option available, why didn’t they do it in the first instance only? I asked the surgeon why such an experiment was being done on a senior citizen.Vijay Sharma, Savita's husband
Fight for Justice
Vijay Kumar Sharma has been persistent in seeking justice. He wrote to the Prime Minister, the Chief Minister, the District Magistrate of Ghaziabad, and the Chief Medical Officer of Ghaziabad, alleging that the surgeries failed due to the carelessness and incompetence of the surgeons at Yashoda Hospital. Despite his efforts, he has not received any response from the hospital.
His plea was forwarded from the PM's office to the CM and ultimately, to the office of CMO. The CMO constituted a team to investigate the matter, which was then transferred to a high-level medical team in Lala Lajpat Rai Medical College, Meerut as the previous team lacked expertise to investigate the case.
Since then, however, there has been no update shared publicly regarding the outcome of the investigation. Sharma claims that despite repeated follow-ups, no formal response has been given by the authorities.
A Call for Accountability
Vijay Sharma has also accused the hospital of exploiting his loss by charging him ₹7-8 lakh for the failed surgeries, despite initially quoting ₹3.25 lakh. But he did not file a lawsuit, as he does not want compensation—he wants justice. He wants doctors to be publicly held accountable to ensure that no patient’s life is endangered due to carelessness in the future.
When the doctors write on their profile that we have done so many surgeries and we have 40 years of experience, they should also write about how many failed surgeries they have done. I have written to the PM about this.Vijay Sharma, Savita's husband
He has also highlighted several unethical practices in private hospitals, where a financial burden is imposed on patients when a second surgery becomes necessary due to complications from the first one. He questioned why patients should pay for corrective procedures, instead, he believes, hospitals should pay for the pain and trauma caused.
He has urged the Prime Minister to direct the Union Health Ministry and state governments to issue strict guidelines for private hospitals. He believes such measures would go a long way in alleviating the suffering of millions who suffer due to medical expenses.
Reference:
1. Kaleekal, Jeffin T., and Aditya Jyoti Borah. “Yashoda Hospital: Man Alleges Medical Negligence Claimed Wife’s Life.” The Probe, March 27, 2025. https://theprobe.in/medical-negligence/yashoda-hospital-man-alleges-medical-negligence-claimed-wifes-life-8897499.
(Input from various sources)
(Rehash/Pooja Bansal/MSM)