Man dies during PM's PGIMER visit, PMO asks for report (Lead)

The Prime Minister's Office (PMO) Tuesday sought a report from Chandigarh's Post-Graduate Institute of Medical Education and Research (PGIMER) on the death of a kidney patient, who could not enter the hospital because of security measures in place for Prime Minister Manmohan Singh's visit.

The PMO is saddened at the death of a patient at the Post-Graduate Institute of Medical Education and Research today during the visit of the prime minister. A full report has been asked for, said a senior official.

Sumit Prakash Verma, 32, died after the vehicle carrying him could not enter the emergency area of the PGIMER in time for treatment, his relatives said.

They alleged that their vehicle carrying Verma from Ambala, 45 km from Chandigarh, was stopped at different gates of the institute due to which crucial time was wasted.

"We came near the PGIMER when the prime minister's motorcade was entering. The road near the emergency was sealed by police and we were told to use another gate. At that gate we were told to go to a third place and then directed to go to the original gate. This delayed our reaching the hospital and he died," Richa Verma, a relative, told reporters.

Sources in the PMO told IANS that security personnel could not gauge how critical Verma was as he was not travelling in an ambulance.

Verma was suffering from a major kidney ailment and had breathing trouble. He is survived by his wife and two children.

Manmohan Singh was here for the 44th convocation of the PGIMER.

Hospital officials were not available for comment as they were busy with the prime minister's visit.

mk/mj/vt

( 291 Words)

2009-11-03-16:47:01 (IANS)

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