A salesman called Rajesh Maru from India was killed in a central Mumbai hospital, when he was stuck into a Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) machine while carrying a liquid oxygen cylinder on January 27, Saturday night.
The family of the deceased now claims that the incident happened due to medical negligence by the hospital authorities. The Chief Minister of Maharashtra Devendra Fadnavis has announced that the government will provide 5 lakh to the family as compensation.
The local police have arrested a doctor, including a ward boy, under Section 304A of the Indian Penal Code (IPC).
According to reports, Maru entered the MRI room with an oxygen cylinder, which activated the MRI machine's magnetic force and made the victim stuck inside the machine. Then a ward boy dragged his body out of the machine and rushed to the emergency room, where Maru was announced dead.
The brother-in-law of the deceased, Harish Solank allegedly claimed that the ward boy had asked the 32-year-old Maru to go inside with the cylinder.
Solank said that when they informed the ward boy that metallic things are not allowed inside, the staff said 'sab chalta hai, hamara roz ka kaam hai' which means its fine, this is our regular work.
On the other hand, the hospital is blaming the victim and claiming that they did not ask Maru to carry the cylinder inside the room. However, after the accident, the hospital's administrative department suspended the accused doctor and the ward boy, including a sweeper.
Virendra Mishra, the Deputy Police commissioner has confirmed that an FIR has been lodged in Agripada police station. Meanwhile, Maru's body has been sent to JJ Hospital for post-mortem.
Patients are always asked to wear a gown during MRI examination. There are some other precautions a person should follow while going through an MRI scan in order to avoid such a pathetic accident. One should be aware and should never carry the following items:
- Purse, wallet, money clip, credit cards, cards with magnetic strips
- Electronic devices such as beepers or cell phones
- Hearing aids
- Metal jewellery, watches
- Pens, paper clips, keys, coins
- Hair barrettes, hairpins
- Any article of clothing that has a metal zipper, buttons, snaps, hooks, underwires, or metal threads
- Shoes, belt buckles, safety pins
Before the MRI scan patients are usually asked to fill forms to avoid any kind of health risks. There are some items which can create a health problem during an MRI procedure. The list includes the following:
- Pacemaker
- Implantable cardioverter defibrillator (ICD)
- Neurostimulator
- Aneurysm clip
- Metal implant
- Implanted drug infusion device
- Foreign metal objects, especially if in or near the eye
- Shrapnel or bullet wounds
- Permanent cosmetics or tattoos
- Dentures/teeth with magnetic keepers
- Other implants that involve magnets
- Medication patch (i.e., transdermal patch) that contains metal foil
