Navi Mumbai: Airoli Hospital Probe Finds No Medical Negligence in Patient's Death

An interim inquiry report into the death of a patient at Rajmata Jijau Hospital in Airoli has concluded that there was no medical negligence on the part of the treating doctors, the Navi Mumbai Municipal Corporation (NMMC) informed during its General Body meeting.

The inquiry was launched after three women Sonam Dongre, Richa Mishra and Pratima Pal, suffered adverse reactions during treatment at the civic hospital. Sonam Dongre died on July 1, 2026, while Richa Mishra and Pratima Pal recovered after receiving medical care.

An expert committee headed by Dr. Kailas Pawar, District Civil Surgeon, Thane, was constituted to investigate the incident. The panel also included specialists in obstetrics and gynaecology from Mumbai's JJ Hospital, representatives from the Navi Mumbai Obstetrics and Gynaecology Association, and later, experts in forensic medicine, pharmacology and anaesthesiology. The committee was also asked to examine the death of Pratiksha Khandekar, who died at the hospital on March 17, 2026.

The committee visited Rajmata Jijau Hospital on July 8 and questioned all concerned doctors and medical staff. It also examined the post-mortem report submitted by JJ Hospital, treatment records, medicines administered, drug labels, expiry dates and treatment protocols before submitting its preliminary report on July 20.

According to the report, Pratima Pal experienced a mild adverse reaction to an Isoxsuprine HCL injection, while Richa Mishra suffered a moderate reaction but recovered. Sonam Dongre, however, developed a severe adverse reaction to a 12 mg Dexamethasone injection. The report states that complications were further aggravated due to food aspiration, and despite treatment, she could not be saved.

The committee concluded that Dongre's death was caused by an anaphylactic reaction to the medication and found no evidence of negligence by the attending doctors or hospital staff.

However, the report has been described as a preliminary interim report. The committee noted that its final conclusions could change after receiving the drug analysis report from the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and the final post-mortem report from JJ Hospital.

Municipal Commissioner Dr. Kailas Shinde presented the report before the General Body, while Medical Health Officer Dr. Rajesh Mhatre read out its findings. Commissioner Shinde also briefed corporators on the report's observations.

Mayor Sujata Patil said the civic body's health department would further strengthen healthcare services and improve systems to ensure better patient care in the future.