NHRC Seeks Clarification from UP Government on Patient’s Death at Kanpur Medical College

Quick Summary

• The National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) issued a notice to the Uttar Pradesh government on August 21, 2025, regarding the death of a 25-year-old man due to lack of timely medical assistance at Kanpur Medical College.
• The death occurred on August 9, 2025. The patient was admitted in critical condition by two individuals who left him ther.
• A hospital doctor referred the patient to another facility but requested police escort services as there was no one to accompany him.
• There was a delay of about 6-7 hours in arranging police escort services for transferring the patient, during which he passed away.
• After his death, the body remained unattended in the ward for several hours until it started decomposing and creating discomfort for other patients. It was later moved to the mortuary.
• Conflicting claims have emerged: while police stated that escort delays were due to unavailability of an ambulance,hospital authorities claimed an ambulance was available.
• Terming this as a serious violation of human rights, NHRC has directed Uttar Pradesh’s Chief Secretary and Director General of Police to submit a detailed report within two weeks.

Indian Opinion Analysis

The incident underscores critical systemic inefficiencies in India’s healthcare and emergency service coordination mechanisms. Adequate infrastructure frequently enough exists-like ambulances or personnel-but procedural bottlenecks and miscommunications render them ineffective during emergencies. In this case, conflicting narratives between hospital authorities and law enforcement also highlight accountability gaps that can exacerbate human suffering.

From a legal standpoint, NHRC’s involvement could prompt institutional introspection but may not necessarily lead to on-ground reforms unless robust follow-up measures are ensured post-report submission. Additionally, this case exemplifies how administrative lethargy can infringe upon both individual and broader public rights-the unattended corpse negatively affected other patients’ welfare alongside failing basic humane standards.

A strong push towards accountability frameworks ensuring time-sensitive responses from health-care providers and coordinated inter-departmental functioning seems necessary if similar fatalities are to be avoided going forward.

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