In UP's Amethi, hospital staff, Congress leaders, protest Sanjay Gandhi Hospital's suspension of license

Separate dharnas by Congress leader Deepak Singh and employees of the Sanjay Gandhi Hospital here against the suspension of licence of the facility were held on Wednesday.

While over 400 employees started an indefinite demonstration at the hospital gate on Tuesday, another dharna at the office of the Chief Medical officer by Singh started on Monday.

The Congress leader has received support from the Samajwadi Party and Aam Aadmi Party on the issue.

Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of the Sanjay Gandhi Hospital, Awadhesh Sharma said the plea against the health department's decision to suspend the hospital's license will be heard in the high court later in the day. "We hope that the hospital and Amethi will get justice from the court," he said.

The licence of the hospital was suspended on September 17 following the death of a woman, who was admitted there for a minor operation on September 14. Her husband has alleged that she was given an overdose of anaesthesia, which worsened her condition and ultimately led to her death As the issue took a political turn, Union minister and Amethi MP Smriti Irani had attacked the Congress, saying instead of supporting the family of the deceased, the opposition party was 'crying over the loss of their profits'.

"A woman dies because of hospital arrangements. Instead of supporting the family of the deceased woman and taking any action against those who killed a patient, Congress is crying over the loss of their profits. Is the life of an ordinary citizen of Amethi worth nothing?" Irani, who is MP from Amethi, said in Lucknow on Tuesday while replying to queries from reporters on the issue.

President of the Sanjay Gandhi Hospital Employees Union Sanjay Singh alleged that the hospital has been closed due to 'political jealousy'.

'More than 400 employees and doctors work in the hospital. Due to the closure of the hospital, all of them became unemployed and everyone was facing a crisis of livelihood," he said.

The hospital is run by the Sanjay Gandhi Memorial Trust, Delhi. Congress leader Sonia Gandhi is the chairperson of the trust.

BJP MP Varun Gandhi and Congress state president Ajay Rai had written separate letters to Uttar Pradesh Deputy Chief Minister Brajesh Pathak and Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath respectively, requesting them to reconsider the decision.