A case has been filed in Chattogram over the death of 13-year-old girl Pragya Nandi Megha, allegedly due to wrongful medical treatment. Her father, Palash Kusum Nandi, filed the case against three doctors on Monday with the court of Chattogram Metropolitan Magistrate Abu Bakkar Siddique.
Following a preliminary hearing, the court directed the Police Bureau of Investigation (PBI) to investigate the matter. The information was confirmed by court bench assistant Nure Khoda.
The accused are Dr Samriddhi Chowdhury, a physician at New Life Hospital and Diagnostic Centre on Sarson Road; Suman Chakraborty, the hospital’s managing director; and Dr Aniruddha Ghosh, professor in the Department of Medicine at Chattogram Medical College Hospital.
The plaintiff’s lawyer, Partha Pratim Nandi, said the court accepted the case under charges of death due to negligence and instructed the PBI to investigate and submit a report.
According to the case statement, Megha, a student of class eight, had been suffering from headaches for several months. On March 15, she was taken to Associate Professor Dr Mahbubul Alam Khandaker at Chattogram Medical College Hospital, who diagnosed her with migraine and prescribed medication. On March 25, she was seen by neurologist Panchanan Das, who also gave migraine medicine. A CT scan was done at Max Hospital on 26 March, which came back normal.
On June 1, Megha experienced a severe headache and vomiting at her home in Battery Goli, Chattogram. The next day on June 2, she was taken to New Life Hospital and Diagnostic Centre. Dr Samriddhi Chowdhury examined her and said there was no serious issue and that she would be released after receiving saline due to weakness.
She was given saline and a few injections. Later, 20 minutes after the injections, Megha lost consciousness, and her condition deteriorated. Despite requests from her family, the hospital did not immediately call a specialist.
Later, as her condition worsened, Dr Aniruddha Ghosh was contacted. He arrived much later and reportedly did not provide any significant treatment. That night, Megha’s fingers and toes turned black, and her body became unresponsive. Around 10 pm, she was taken to Parkview Hospital, where the emergency department declared her dead.
The case alleges that Megha died due to the negligence of the doctors and hospital authorities.