A 61-year-old liver cancer patient was found dead with his throat slit inside the highly secured liver transplant unit (LTU) ward of Sanjay Gandhi Postgraduate Institute of Medical Sciences (SGPGIMS), Lucknow, early on Monday, police said.
“The deceased, a resident of Basti district, had been admitted to the liver transplant wing since April 21 and was undergoing treatment for advanced-stage liver cancer under the gastroenterology department,” said DCP South Amit K Anand.
“The incident came to light around 4.30 am when an attendant of a patient in the next bed noticed blood oozing from the other patient’s neck and alerted hospital staff and then police. A blood-stained surgical blade was recovered near the body, and investigators suspect it may have been used in the incident,” the DCP added.
He said the police received an official memo from the hospital around 5.45 am, following which teams from local police stations, forensic experts and the dog squad reached the spot to collect evidence.
“Preliminary investigation suggests the patient had been suffering from liver cancer for the last eight to nine months and was also facing financial distress. However, all possible angles, including suicide, are being examined,” the DCP added.
Meanwhile, questions are also being raised about how a surgical blade reached the patient inside a monitored ward. Insiders claimed that given the patient’s critical condition, the possibility of a conspiracy to kill him appeared unlikely.
They further said the patient was admitted to the gastro surgery ward, where surgical blades and similar instruments used for cutting stitches are routinely available, making it possible for anyone to access such items easily.
However, officials said the exact circumstances surrounding the incident would become clear only after the police investigation is completed.
In an official statement, the SGPGIMS said: “The male patient was admitted to the department of gastro surgery on April 21 under Dr Ashish Singh as a follow-up case of advanced adenocarcinoma of gall bladder. During night hours of May 17, the patient was stable, comfortable, conscious and was interacting normally with staff and attendants.”
“In the early morning hours of May 18, ward nursing staff were alerted by attendants of a nearby bed that the patient was unwell. The patient was immediately attended by the nursing staff. On examination, the patient was found unresponsive, pulseless with unrecordable blood pressure, and having a deep sharp cut injury over the right side of the neck with profuse bleeding around the head end of the bed and on the floor,” the statement further read.
“Cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) was initiated immediately by the ward nursing staff and the ward resident doctor was informed promptly. Resuscitative efforts were continued jointly by the resident doctor and nursing staff as per protocol. Despite approximately 15 minutes of CPR and resuscitative measures, the patient could not be revived and was declared dead.
Information was immediately conveyed to the police authorities for further investigation and necessary legal proceedings,” it said.
SGPGIMS director Prof RK Dhiman expressed condolences to the bereaved family and said the hospital administration would fully cooperate with the police investigation.
The brother of the deceased, who was sleeping on the floor beside the hospital bed at the time of the incident, reportedly told police that he neither heard any scream nor noticed any suspicious movement during the night.
CCTV footage from the ward and nearby corridors is being scanned to trace any unusual movement during the early morning hours. The body was sent for a post-mortem examination, and further investigation is underway.
