Three health professionals, including a doctor, from Nganglam Basic Health Unit (BHU) in Pema Gatshel will be transferred for professional misconduct.
An investigation reveals a 72-year-old man died of negligence. He was brought to the BHU after a snake bit him. The incident took place in May.
Bhutan Medical and Health Council and Professionals Ethics Committee carried out the investigations.
The report also said the doctor and two nurses tried to cover up the case by tampering with the hospital documents.
The investigation began after the man’s son filed a complaint of negligence with the Nganglam Dungkhag.
The investigation also revealed the doctor failed to monitor and pick up signs of envenoming. It says the doctor had falsely claimed to have administered the anti-venom injection to the investigation team.
There is also no documentary evidence of health staff having attended to the patient’s complaint.
“…Since there was no documentation of taking the vital sign during that complaint, we find that this was negligence on their part,” said Bhutan Medical and Health Council’s Registrar, Sonam Dorji.
He also said the Professionals Ethics Committee has come up with recommendations to reprimand all the staff who attended to the patient since they have not done what professionals are required to do.
The Professional Ethics Committee also recommends to conduct competency examination for all categories of medical and health professionals applying for registration with the Council.
The committee also said the fresh medical graduates should be attached in referral hospitals for a minimum of six months before being posted in BHUs where they work independently.
It also recommends the health ministry to recall medical graduates of University of Science and Technology, Chittagong (USTC) in Bangladesh to keep under attachment to enhance competency as the committee observed that most of the negligence cases reported are of the doctors who are USTC graduates.
