3 hospital staff arrested after man gets sucked into MRI machine in Mumbai

Mumbai: The authorities on Sunday arrested three persons after a 32-year-old man was sucked into a Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) machine in Mumbai's Nair Hospital resulting in his death on Saturday evening. 

According to ANI, the three, who were earlier detained by the Mumbai Police, are Nair hospital staff.

A First Information Report (FIR) has also been registered at the Agripada Police Station under Section 304A (causing death by negligence) of the Indian Penal Code (IPC) against the three accused - doctor Siddhant Shah, ward boy Vitthal Chavan and a lady ward attendant Sunita Surve.

The extremely shocking incident occurred after Rajesh Maru, a salesman at a garment shop, entered the MRI room carrying an oxygen cylinder to help an elderly patient at the behest of a ward boy. 

It is to be noted that metals are strictly prohibited inside the MRI room. 

“He (Maru) was allowed entry into MRI room with an oxygen tank where no metal items are allowed. Hospital attendant at the MRI room said that the MRI machine was not switched on, but he could go in. He was pulled in by the magnetic force of the machine. He was shifted to trauma but died later,” a relative of the victim said.

Maru's brother-in-law, Harish Solanki, informed that the deceased had gone to visit his mother who was admitted to the hospital.

"He went there to visit my ailing mother but we did not know he would meet such a fate. We all are in shock. A ward boy told him to carry an oxygen cylinder with him to MRI room which is prohibited. It all happened because of the carelessness of hospital's doctors and administration. No security guard was either present to tell him that he should not carry oxygen cylinder with him to MRI room," said Solanki.

Solanki further alleged that the MRI machine was functioning when Maru was called in, though the hospital flatly denied it.

"As he entered the room, the MRI machine sucked him in due to the magnetic force as he had oxygen cylinder with him. He died within 2 minutes. No hospital authority has approached us accepting their mistake," Solanki stated.

The ward boy, who handed over the oxygen cylinder containing metal to Rajesh Maru, was suspended by the hospital dean. 

The Mumbai Police has also recovered the CCTV footage of the incident and the same is being examined. 

Maru's body was sent for the post-mortem in Mumbai's JJ Hospital. 

Meanwhile, Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis has announced a compensation of Rs 5 lakhs for Maru's family.

The freaking incident once again brings to fore questions about safety and security in hospitals and the insensitive attitude of the hospital staff at times. 

(With agency inputs)