Look Out Circular issued against 4 accused in Gujarat medical negligence case

Ahmedabad: The Gujarat police have issued a Look Out Circular (LOC) against four accused in connection with the death of two patients allegedly due to medical negligence in 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 apprehended in the case, which involves alleged irregularities in the Pradhan Mantri Jan Arogya Yojana (PMJAY) scheme.

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

Searches were also carried out at Khyati Hospital in Bodakdev and Dr. Vazirani’s house in Navrangpura, said officials.

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

Family members alleged that the procedures were hastily performed without proper communication, to exploit benefits from the Ayushman Bharat scheme, which provides health insurance coverage up to ₹10 lakh for eligible individuals.

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

Gujarat health minister Rushikesh Patel ordered an immediate inquiry by the State Anti-Fraud Unit (SAFU) of PMJAY, terming the incident “very serious” and promising severe action if evidence of medical negligence was found.

Three FIRs were registered at Vastrapur police station on November 13 against the five accused.