Kathmandu, August 4

Om Hospital and Research Centre (P) Ltd resumed its out-patient services today after relatives of a patient who died following a surgery ended their protest and accepted the body.

Nanda Kumari Lamichhane, 54, of Aarughat, Gorkha died in the hospital following a laparoscopic surgery for gallstone on August 3 midnight. Patient’s relatives had vandalised the hospital and halted OPD services demanding punishment for the surgeon involved in the operation.

A team led by Senior Consultant Surgeon Dr Kamal Koirala had performed the surgery. “We had done necessary tests before performing the surgery. However, when we tried to lift her after surgery she had already stiffened. We shifted her to intensive care unit immediately but she died at 12:45am,” informed Dr Koirala.

The patient died of heart attack, which doctors said was rare. However, relatives of the patient are not willing to accept the doctor’s clarification. “We feel there was a human error, but we didn’t want autopsy to be performed on the body. So we accepted the body and performed final rites,” informed Prakash Lamichhane, Nanda Kumari’s son.

Though the son claimed that there had been a verbal agreement on compensation, hospital’s Managing Director Babu Kaji Karki said no compensation would be given to the patient’s family as there was no error on the part of doctors involved in the operation.