THANE: A 35-year-old woman died during a fertility-related diagnostic procedure at a private hospital in Bhiwandi on Thursday, prompting allegations of medical negligence from her family and an investigation by the police.35-year-old woman dies during fertility-related sonography procedure in Bhiwandi; kin allege medical negligenceThe deceased, identified as Firoza Ramzan Sheikh, reportedly suffered convulsions shortly after being administered an Atropine injection at Siraj Hospital and Diagnostic Center, where she had gone to undergo a Sonosalpingography (SSG) test. SSG is a specialised sonography procedure used to assess whether a woman’s fallopian tubes are open or blocked, often as part of infertility treatment. Atropine, an anticholinergic medication, is commonly administered before the procedure to reduce spasms and discomfort.Sheikh, a native of Bhiwandi who was married in Ahilyanagar, had returned to her parental home a week ago to celebrate Eid and attend the wedding of her younger sister, Sumaiya Khatik, scheduled for June 6.According to Khatik, the family took Sheikh to Siraj Hospital at around 1pm on Thursday for the procedure. “After we arrived, the hospital staff asked us to purchase medicines from the hospital medical store. We bought the medicines and then one doctor and two nurses took my sister inside the sonography room and administered an injection,” she said.“Immediately after the injection, she became unconscious. There was panic inside the hospital and four to five more doctors were called. She was rushed to the intensive care unit and placed on a ventilator,” Khatik alleged.The family was allegedly not allowed to meet Sheikh while she was in the ICU. “The doctors later informed us that she had vomited and the vomit had entered her lungs. However, we did not see any signs of vomiting around her mouth or face. She was completely healthy before the injection was administered. Her condition deteriorated only after that,” Khatik claimed.Sheikh was declared dead at around 2.30pm, barely 90 minutes after she had arrived at the hospital, according to her relatives.Demanding a thorough probe, Khatik said the family wanted strict action against those responsible. “We want a detailed investigation into the circumstances that led to her death. We are not getting any response from either the hospital or the police,” she said.Dr Supriya Arwari, a consultant obstetrician, gynaecologist and infertility specialist in Bhiwandi who had been treating Sheikh, said she had referred the patient for an SSG procedure after multiple unsuccessful attempts to conceive.“As per the information provided to me by the doctors at Siraj Hospital, Atropine was administered as part of the standard protocol before the procedure. Soon after the injection, the patient developed convulsions. She reportedly aspirated vomit into her lungs and was placed on ventilator support, but could not be revived,” Dr Arwari told HT.She added that the precise cause of the convulsions remained unclear. “I too want to know what triggered the sudden attack. The patient had a history of ovarian cancer and had previously undergone surgery, but the exact cause of the medical emergency is yet to be established,” she said.When contacted, staff at Siraj Hospital said no doctor was available to comment as all doctors were on leave on account of Eid.Vinayak Gaikwad, senior police inspector of Shanti Nagar police station, said an accidental death report (ADR) had been registered and the body had been sent for postmortem examination.“The hospital has informed us that the death appears to be due to a sudden heart attack. The postmortem report and forensic analysis are awaited. Viscera samples have been sent to the Forensic Science Laboratory in Kalina for examination,” Gaikwad said.Police said further action, if any, would be determined after the medical and forensic reports are received.