Look Out Circular issued against four accused in Gujarat medical negligence case

Ahmedabad: The Gujarat Police has issued a Look Out Circular (LOC) against four suspects in connection with the death of two patients allegedly due to medical negligence at Ahmedabad’s Khyati Hospital, crime branch officials said on Wednesday.

The accused include hospital director Kartik Patel, CEO Chirag Rajput and two promoters, Sanjay Patolia and Rajshree Kothari.

Another accused Dr. Prashant Vazirani has been arrested in the case, which relates to alleged irregularities in the Pradhan Mantri Jan Arogya Yojana (PMJAY) scheme.

The city’s crime branch on Tuesday deployed six teams to conduct searches at multiple locations, including the suspects’ residences in Bopal, Thaltej and Makarba areas.

Searches were also conducted at Khyati Hospital in Bodakdev and Dr. Vazirani in Navrangpura, officials said.

The case came to light last week when two patients – Nagarbhai Senma (59) and Mahesh Barot (45) – died soon after undergoing angioplasty procedures at Khyati Hospital.

Family members alleged that the procedures were done hastily without proper communication, to avail the benefits of the Ayushman Bharat scheme, which offers health insurance coverage up to ₹10 lakh for eligible persons.

The deaths took place after a free medical camp organized by the hospital at Borisana village in Kadi taluka of Mehsana district. Nineteen villagers were transported to hospital for angiography procedures, raising concerns about the possible systematic exploitation of the government scheme.

Gujarat Health Minister Rushikesh Patel ordered an immediate probe by PMJAY’s State Anti-Fraud Unit (SAFU), terming the incident “very serious” and promising serious action if evidence of medical negligence is found.

On November 13, three FIRs were registered against the five accused at Vastrapur police station.