GTB Hospital Patient Dies Hours After Ceiling Fan Falls in Emergency Ward; Family Demands Inquiry

Mohammad Akbar, a 42-year-old man, died hours after a ceiling fan allegedly detached and fell onto his bed while he was undergoing treatment in Emergency Ward 27 at Guru Teg Bahadur (GTB) Hospital in northeast Delhi on Saturday, July 19. The incident occurred around 9:30 p.m. Hospital authorities said his death resulted from pre-existing medical conditions, while his family alleged poor maintenance and demanded an inquiry into the incident.

According to eyewitnesses quoted by The Indian Express, the ceiling fan detached from the ceiling and struck Mohammad Akbar while he was lying on his hospital bed in Emergency Ward 27. Hospital staff immediately attended to him, while police said a nursing officer also sustained injuries during the incident, which caused panic inside the ward.

Hospital records showed that Akbar had been admitted to GTB Hospital on July 18 after being brought in by his brother. He was receiving treatment for hypertension, meningoencephalitis, and aspiration pneumonia. His death certificate listed these underlying medical conditions as the cause of death after he died at approximately 12:16 a.m. on Sunday.

According to a statement issued by GTB Hospital and carried by PTI, Mohammad Akbar was admitted in an unconscious state with uncontrolled hypertension and stroke or encephalopathy complicated by aspiration pneumonia with respiratory failure. The hospital said, "the cause of death of the patient has been his existing medical condition and not related to the incident."

Meningoencephalitis is inflammation of the brain and its protective membranes, while aspiration pneumonia occurs when food, saliva, liquids, or stomach contents enter the lungs, causing infection and breathing difficulties.

The hospital added that doctors examined Akbar immediately after the fan fell and found no visible external injuries.

Akbar's family disputed the hospital's findings and demanded a fair inquiry, alleging that the ceiling fan collapse reflected poor maintenance and questioning safety standards at the government-run hospital, The Indian Express reported.

Advocate Aslam Qureshi, who claimed to have witnessed the incident, told NDTV, "I saw the ceiling fan fall on a patient... The doctors are saying the fan fell on a nurse, but I was present there and saw it fall on the patient."

Eyewitnesses and patient attendants also alleged that several air-conditioning units in Emergency Ward 27 were either not functioning or had missing components, leaving ceiling fans as the primary source of ventilation during the humid weather.

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The incident has brought renewed scrutiny to infrastructure maintenance at public hospitals. GTB Hospital said a detailed inquiry has been initiated after a preliminary inspection found that the ceiling fan's shaft had fractured.

The inquiry will examine the circumstances surrounding the ceiling fan's collapse and the concerns raised by Akbar's family.

(Rh/TP/MSM)