Jharkhand News : In a shocking case of medical negligence, a woman died during treatment at an unlicensed hospital in Palamu, Jharkhand, allegedly due to the carelessness of a fake doctor. The incident triggered widespread outrage in the Panki area, with locals staging a road blockade using the deceased’s body.
The victim, Poonam Devi, wife of Jitendra Kumar Bhuiyan from Panki, died on Saturday night at Somi Seva Sadan, a clinic operating illegally on Thana Road. According to the husband, the so-called doctor, H.N. Jha, had earlier performed a sterilization surgery on Poonam a year ago, after which her health deteriorated. Despite repeated complaints, Jha assured them of recovery.
On Saturday, when Poonam complained of severe abdominal pain, Jha performed another operation, claiming to remove a tumor. However, her condition worsened rapidly—her abdomen bloated, and foam began to emerge from her mouth and nose. Jha arranged for a private vehicle to rush her to a hospital in Medininagar, but upon arrival, doctors there declared her dead for over an hour. The driver abandoned the body and fled.
Upon returning to Somi Seva Sadan with the body, Jha was found to have shut down the hospital and absconded. As news of the incident spread, angry locals placed the body on the Panki-Balumath main road, causing a major traffic blockade for several hours.
Panki MLA Dr. Shashi Bhushan Mehta and Civil Surgeon Dr. Anil Kumar Srivastava reached the spot. The MLA demanded FIRs against all individuals associated with the fake hospital, including the staff. The Civil Surgeon confirmed that only registered hospitals are allowed to operate and any others will be sealed.
After assurances of strict action, the road blockade was lifted, and the body was sent to MMCH for post-mortem.
In a follow-up investigation led by Dr. Srivastava, multiple other clinics in the region were inspected. It was found that a previously sealed clinic, Kiran Singh Clinic, was illegally operational again. Several other facilities were also found violating health regulations.
Locals voiced frustration, saying this was not an isolated incident. “Every time someone dies, there’s a brief investigation, a few actions are taken, and then everything returns to normal,” one resident remarked.
