Lucknow/Amethi:

The Lucknow bench of Allahabad High Court on Wednesday stayed the Uttar Pradesh government’s order suspending the licence of Sanjay Gandhi Hospital in Amethi.

A division bench of Justices Vivek Chaudhary and Manish Kumar said that inquiry against the hospital would go on. The bench also asked the state government to file its counter affidavit.

The bench was hearing a petition filed by the Sanjay Gandhi Hospital administration against the government’s order.

On September 18, the health department suspended the licence of Sanjay Gandhi Hospital in Munshiganj area of Amethi and halted OPD and emergency services, days after the death of a woman patient following an operation.

The hospital is run by Sanjay Gandhi Memorial Trust (SGMT) headed by Congress leader Sonia Gandhi.

Manoj Muttu, administrator of the trust, told PTI that a copy of the court’s order will be submitted to the chief medical officer of Amethi and as per the CMO’s directions functioning of the hospital will resume.

However, Muttu said he would like the hospital to resume functioning from Thursday.

On September 27, over 400 employees of the hospital sat on a dharna against the suspension of its licence. Local Congress leaders also staged a protest outside the CMO’s office.

The woman patient, Divya (22) who was admitted to the Sanjay Gandhi Hospital on September 14, went into a coma during a surgery. Her family members alleged that she was kept at the hospital for more than 30 hours before being referred to Lucknow where she died on September 16.

The next day, an FIR of causing death by negligence was registered against four employees of the hospital, including its chief executive officer.

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)

New Delhi:

BJP MP Varun Gandhi today wrote to Uttar Pradesh Deputy Chief Minister Brajesh Pathak saying the “swift suspension” of the Sanjay Gandhi Hospital’s licence in Amethi, without a thorough investigation, is “an injustice” to all individuals who depend on the institution not only for primary healthcare services but also for their livelihoods.

“While accountability is crucial, it is imperative that principles of fairness and impartiality be upheld,” he wrote in a letter posted on X.

Urging the minister to reconsider his decision, taken after the death of a 22-year-old woman due to alleged medical negligence, Mr Gandhi said he hoped citizens’ access to medical services remains uninterrupted, while the government ensures a transparent inquiry that addresses immediate concerns, and identifies and rectifies any systemic issues that may have contributed to the incident.

“The hospital, whose foundation stone was laid by former Prime Minister Smt. Indira Gandhi in 1982, has stood as a steadfast pillar of healthcare support for the people in Amethi and its neighbouring districts for several decades,” Varun Gandhi’s letter said, warning that suspending its licence has “far-reaching implications” for the region’s healthcare access, employment, and education.

The swift suspension of the Sanjay Gandhi Hospital’s license in Amethi, without a thorough investigation, is an injustice to all individuals who depend on the institution not only for primary healthcare services but also for their livelihoods.

While accountability is crucial, it… pic.twitter.com/9TJNcrIkvd

— Varun Gandhi (@varungandhi80) September 22, 2023

In addition to its healthcare services, the hospital, named after his father, serves as a significant employer, with approximately 450 dedicated staff members and thousands of others whose livelihoods depend on the continuous operation of this institution, Mr Gandhi pointed out, adding that it also plays a role in healthcare education by training 600 nursing and 200 paramedic students yearly.

“Suspending the hospital’s licence unilaterally, without affording it any opportunity to explain, raises concerns, as this decision impacts healthcare access, livelihood, and educational continuity,” he said, and suggested the matter should be approached with “a sense of proportionality and fairness”.

In another post on X with a video report of a protest demonstration by the hospital staff, Varun Gandhi said only the ‘vision of humanity’ can do justice to their suffering, not the ‘arrogance of the system’.

सवाल संजय गांधी अस्पताल के 450 कर्मचारियों और उनके परिवार का ही नहीं, रोज सैकड़ों की संख्या में इलाज कराने वाले सूबे की आम जनता का भी है।

उनकी पीड़ा के साथ न्याय ‘मानवता की दृष्टि’ ही कर सकती है, ‘व्यवस्था का अहंकार’ नहीं।

कहीं ‘नाम’ के प्रति नाराजगी लाखों का ‘काम’ न बिगाड़ दे। pic.twitter.com/KsfxNuaPuk

— Varun Gandhi (@varungandhi80) September 30, 2023

Suggesting the action had to do with the ‘Gandhi’ name in the hospital’s name, the BJP MP said resentment towards ‘name’ could spoil the ‘work’ of lakhs.

Sanjay Gandhi Hospital is run by Sanjay Gandhi Memorial Trust New Delhi and Sonia Gandhi is its chairperson while Rahul Gandhi and Priyanka Gandhi are the members of the trust.