NHRC Seeks Report From J&K Authorities After Woman Dies In Hospital Lift Mishap

The National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) on Monday announced that it has sent a notice to the Jammu and Kashmir administration as well as the Union Territory’s police chief following media reports alleging that negligence at a Jammu super speciality hospital contributed to the death of an elderly woman.

According to the report, the lift at the hospital “abruptly started moving upwards at a high speed” the moment the woman stepped inside, leaving her with grave injuries. She remained in the ICU for five days before she eventually died.

The NHRC said it has taken suo motu cognisance of a news article published on November 6, which claimed that inadequate maintenance of the hospital lift led to the death of the 58-year-old patient. In its statement, the commission noted that the details mentioned in the report, if accurate, point to “serious issues of violation of human rights.”

In response, the commission has issued notices to the Union Territory’s chief secretary and the director general of police, requesting a comprehensive report within two weeks.

The media account also highlighted that it took hospital staff roughly 15 minutes to pull the woman out of the lift. Family members, citing “negligence” on the part of the hospital, alleged that neither a lift operator nor a security guard was stationed nearby. They further claimed that no warning sign had been put up to alert visitors about ongoing technical problems with the malfunctioning lift.

With PTI inputs