A tragic incident unfolded at a private hospital in Meerut, resulting in the death of a 28-year-old woman, Akansha Mavi, just hours after she gave birth to her second daughter. According to police reports, the woman died due to severe head and neck injuries sustained when a lift, used for transferring her from the operation theatre to an observation room, malfunctioned and crashed.
The incident took place on Thursday, shortly after Mavi underwent a delivery procedure at approximately 4:55 PM. It reportedly occurred around 5:30 PM as she was being moved on a stretcher with two female nurses accompanying her. While the nurses sustained only minor injuries and left the scene shortly after their rescue, Mavi was trapped when the lift malfunctioned, leading to catastrophic injuries. Preliminary investigations indicate that the lift’s belt snapped, causing it to crash, and details revealed that the hospital had maintained the lift about ten days prior.
In the aftermath of the incident, Meerut’s chief medical officer, Ashok Kataria, confirmed that the hospital had been sealed, and the maintenance records of the lift were under investigation. Kataria stated, “An initial medical report suggests the patient suffered from excessive internal bleeding and severe neck and head injuries. We have revoked the hospital’s licence, and strict action will be taken once we gather more details.”
Meerut’s Senior Superintendent of Police, Dr. Vipin Tada, informed that an FIR had been lodged against the hospital owner, the treating doctor, Kavita Bhatia, and unidentified staff members on charges of culpable homicide not amounting to murder. No arrests have been made yet, and authorities are continuing to gather information.
Witness accounts indicate that the hospital staff fled the premises after the incident, leaving Mavi behind in the damaged lift. The police were initially misinformed, believing Mavi had been stuck for nearly an hour and died of suffocation. However, investigators clarified that the woman was trapped for approximately an hour before being rescued. Attempts to provide immediate care included transferring her to another private hospital, where she was declared dead upon arrival.
In the wake of this heartbreaking event, Mavi’s family is grappling with the loss. Her husband, Ankush Mavi, a junior commissioned officer in the Indian Army, expressed his devastation: “We were so happy to hear about our second daughter and started distributing sweets. Now, our elder daughter is still waiting for a phone call from her mother; she is restless and asking all the time what happened to her mom, but we don’t have any answer.”
Local authorities are now facing scrutiny from the community, with some expressing outrage, leading to reports of a group ransacking part of the hospital facility in response to the tragedy. As the investigation continues, many are left questioning the safety standards and accountability of private medical institutions in the region.
