Safdarjung Hospital stated on Sunday that the claims made by Sonam Vangchuk's wife, Gitanjali Angmo, during his current treatment, 'do not facilitate the smooth provision of patient medical care.'
This statement followed Angmo's accusation that the hospital was concealing important medical information and her application to the Delhi High Court requesting Vangchuk's transfer to a private clinic.
According to an ANI report, the hospital indicated that the Patient Status Report provided by Angmo on Saturday clearly listed Vangchuk's potassium levels. However, she later claimed on social media that the hospital had not provided the potassium values in writing nor included them in the health bulletin.
The hospital noted that such incidents during the ongoing course of treatment impede the seamless management of the patient's condition. It reported that a multidisciplinary team of doctors constantly consults with both the patient and his family to ensure timely medical intervention and adherence to the recommended treatment protocol.
The hospital also issued a medical summary stating that the 59-year-old activist was brought to VMMC and Safdarjung Hospital at 7:40 AM on July 18 after being transported by the Delhi police. It was noted that Vangchuk had been fasting without solid food for 20 days and suffered from general weakness. Initial tests revealed compensated acidosis and a low serum potassium level of about 2.9 mEq/L, while urinary ketones increased throughout the day.
The hospital advised intravenous solutions, oral rehydration solutions, and medication; however, Vangchuk refused all treatment and remained under constant observation and consultation.
The hospital's reaction came after Angmo announced that she had approached the Delhi High Court seeking to transfer Vangchuk to a private clinic of her choice, stating that she had 'lost faith' in Safdarjung Hospital. In her petition, she alleged that the hospital was disclosing only selective medical information, hindering an independent assessment of his condition, and refusing discharge despite repeated requests.
Furthermore, Angmo claimed a discrepancy between the potassium level cited by Safdarjung Hospital and the results from an independent laboratory. She asserted that the blood test, provided late, showed a potassium level of 3.6 compared to the 2.9 stated by the hospital. Angmo also claimed that the strong presence of police inside the hospital effectively restricted the family's movement, describing Vangchuk's continued stay as 'illegal detention.'
The Delhi High Court rejected the petition filed by Gitanjali Angmo, wife of activist Sonam Wangchuk, on Sunday, which demanded his transfer from Safdarjung Government Hospital to Medanta Private Hospital.
The court noted that no force was used when Wangchuk was moved. Judge Mini Pushkarna also emphasized that Wangchuk's family had round-the-clock access to him, and a separate room had been allocated for him in the hospital.
In its ruling, the court stated that it took into account the senior lawyer's argument that Wangchuk was not under arrest. However, given that he did not voluntarily go to any hospital, the government had the right to take such action.
Judge Pushkarna added that, according to Wangchuk's own admissions, only oral substances were administered with his consent, so the issue of using force did not arise. The court concluded that since the doctors at Safdarjung Hospital are closely monitoring his health and administering only oral medications with his consent, it cannot be claimed that any coercion is being applied against him.
Furthermore, the court noted that the climate activist's potassium level was 'dangerously low,' and that he did not consent to intravenous fluids. The court urged Wangchuk to cooperate with the doctors if he wished to do so.
The court also considered the statements from the additional prosecutor general and the doctors that Wangchuk's wife and brother have unrestricted 24-hour access to him. The High Court ordered that the Centre, Delhi Police, and the management of Safdarjung Hospital must submit a report on Wangchuk's condition within three days, and the case was scheduled for hearing on July 24.
Wangchuk was taken to Safdarjung Hospital on Saturday after the Delhi Police removed him from a protest site in Jantar Mantar, citing medical advice and orders from the Delhi High Court. He had been on an indefinite hunger strike since June 28, demanding the resignation of Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan over alleged irregularities in national exams, including the NEET exam leak incident.
On Saturday, the Cockroach Janta Party (CJP) stated that the family and legal team of activist Sonam Wangchuk faced restrictions after his hospitalization at Safdarjung Hospital.
In a post on the social media platform X, the party alleged that Wangchuk's wife was prohibited from bringing a mobile phone into the ward, and that medical documents were not provided to the family. Furthermore, CJP claimed that Wangchuk's personal doctors and lawyers were not allowed access to him in the hospital.
In its message, the party wrote: 'Dictatorship by the government is happening at Safdarjung Hospital. Sonam sir's wife is not allowed to take a phone into the ward. His medical reports are not being given to the family. Personal lawyers or doctors are not allowed to meet.'
A video published on the official CJP account on X shows Sonam Wangchuk's wife, Gitanjali Angmo, questioning the doctors about the ban on her taking a phone upstairs. She asks: 'Why are you not allowing me to take my phone? Do you understand, sir, Article 32 as a free person? Please be professional. This is a fundamental right.'
Gitanjali Angmo also expressed dissatisfaction, asking: 'Nothing else is happening. Why are we not allowed to take a phone upstairs? Why are we not getting a digital copy of the medical report?'
Earlier, in a post on X, Wangchuk's spouse, Gitanjali D. Angmo, emphasized that no medical intervention should be performed on him without her consent. Angmo told the news agency PTI: 'He is at Safdarjung Hospital. I forbid them from administering anything without my consent. Treatment should not begin without my consent.'
Activist Sonam Wangchuk was taken from Jantramantor early Saturday morning and admitted to VMMC and Safdarjung Hospital as his hunger strike against alleged irregularities in the NEET exam entered its twenty-first day.
