The Telangana Director of Public Health on Friday revoked the permission given to Virinchi Hospital in Hyderabad to treat COVID-19 patients by invoking the Telangana Allopathic Private Medical Care Establishments (Registration and Regulation) Act 2002 and Epidemic Diseases Act 1897. The action, according to the government, was taken as the hospital failed to respond to the show cause notice issued by the Health Department. The Health Department had initiated a probe against the hospital a day earlier following allegations of medical negligence, which allegedly led to the death of a man identified as Vamshi Krishna.

"A show cause notice was issued to the hospital with instructions to submit a detailed explanation to the notice within 24 hours. But, the hospital authorities failed to submit any explanation to the show cause notice issued by this office regarding medical negligence in treating the COVID-19 patient,” the the Director of Public Health Dr G Srinivasa Rao said in the order.

Cancelling the hospital’s permission to treat COVID-19 patients, the order read, “No new COVID-19 patient shall be admitted by the said hospital, and no inconvenience should be caused to already admitted patients and they have to be treated as per treatment protocols. If it is found that the said hospital is not following these orders, then the Government will be compelled to cancel the license issued to the hospital. These orders come into force with immediate effect.”

On Thursday, Virinchi Hospital which is located in Banjara Hills, was ransacked by relatives of a COVID-19 patient, who had accused the hospital of negligence. The agitated family members alleged that the hospital had fudged the patient's death report. They claimed that the doctors did not treat the patient even after charging them a bill of Rs 8 lakh.

Vamshi Krishna's sister Sashy Bhavani Vangapalli had argued with the doctors alleging negligence which escalated into violence as the men accompanying her went into a rampage attacking the doctors, staff and damaging the furniture.

Meanwhile, following the complaint from the hospital, the Panjagutta police on Friday arrested 16 people in the case on charges of physical assault, criminal trespass and damage to furniture under Indian Penal Code and Disaster Management Act.  

Speaking to TNM, Niranjan Reddy, Panjagutta Inspector of police said, “The accused have indulged in the violence and attacked the staff at the hospital. As many as 16 people have been arrested and sent to judicial remand for 14 days.”

The Inspector said, “They should have lodged a complaint with the police if there was any lapse or negligence but they did not do that, instead they claimed that the treatment was not done in a standard manner based on an opinion of others.”

Following the violence, police have placed extra security at the several private hospitals in Hyderabad.