A tragic case of alleged medical negligence at Pune’s ONP Hospital claimed the life of 42-year-old Sonu Kaushik, who died shortly after being administered anaesthesia for rhinoplasty. The family blames protocol violations and a cover-up. A police complaint has been filed; investigations and post-mortem are underway.
Mrudula Narale
Pune: In a tragic incident of medical negligence at Oyster and Pearl (ONP) Hospital in Shivajinagar, Sonu Kaushik, a 42-year-old Pune resident, died soon after he was administered anaesthesia for a scheduled rhinoplasty procedure. His death has sent his family into shock and fueled severe claims of medical negligence, protocols being violated, and a suspected cover-up by the hospital. An investigation has been initiated by the authorities and a police complaint was filed at Shivajinagar police station, while Kaushik’s body has been taken to Sassoon General Hospital for post mortem.
The accident took place on a Wednesday when Kaushik was taken to ONP Hospital for rhinoplasty, a surgical process which involves reshaping or resizing the nose, usually done for cosmetic or functional purposes. As per reports, anaesthesia was given in anticipation of the surgery, but Kaushik’s health worsened abruptly, resulting in his untimely demise even before the operation could be initiated. The sudden tragedy has put the hospital’s compliance with regular medical procedures on the anvil, especially the giving of anaesthesia, a delicate and critical procedure in surgery.
Kaushik’s relatives, who are in shock after the tragedy, have accused the hospital of deviating from conventional safety protocols. They say the anaesthesia was given without undertaking proper pre-operative checks or observing the patient for signs of any complications, which might have led to the deadly outcome. Also, the family accuses the hospital of trying to cover up the events leading up to the tragedy, which left them no other option but to lodge a formal complaint with the police. The allegations have reflected negatively on the image of ONP Hospital, which has been recognized for its world-class medical infrastructure in the country.
Anaesthesia administration is a sophisticated process involving careful attention, such as assessing a patient’s medical history, allergies, and general health to decide the dose and kind of anaesthetic. Any lapse from these procedures can result in serious complications, ranging from adverse reactions, respiratory problems, or rarely death. The family’s allegations indicate that failures in these crucial steps could have contributed to Kaushik’s death, although the post-mortem report and the investigation will clarify this further.
The police have taken the complaint seriously, filing a case against the hospital and launching an inquiry to determine if negligence or malpractice had taken place. The post-mortem examination at Sassoon General Hospital will reveal whether the anaesthesia itself led to the death or if there were other underlying issues. Medical experts point out that although anaesthesia-related complications are uncommon, they can happen when proper precautions are not followed, highlighting the need for strict adherence to safety norms.
This event has raised wider issues of patient safety and accountability in private healthcare facilities. Rhinoplasty, while in general viewed as a low-risk surgery, is not without its problems, especially when anaesthesia is the issue. The disaster has inspired demands for stricter regulation of hospitals and surgical centers to keep them in line with medical standards and to avoid such an event from happening again.
As the probe continues, the emphasis is on establishing the truth about Kaushik’s death and bringing those involved to justice. The family waits in hopes for now that the legal and medical system will provide justice to their deceased loved one. The case is a harsh reminder of the faith that patients have in medical care workers and the dire results when this trust is broken.