Ahmedabad: A 71-year-old ICU patient died on Friday after falling into a utilities duct shaft from the sixth floor of Sola Civil Hospital, raising questions over hospital safety and patient monitoring.

Kanji Parmar, a retiree living in RR Shukla Chawl near Hastmilap Party Plot in Vadaj, had been admitted a couple of days before the incident for lung infection, congestion, and pneumonia, said Sola police officials. Police said the incident occurred around 8.30pm on Friday when Parmar, reportedly under the influence of medication, walked out of the ICU ward in a disoriented state.

Mistaking the shaft door for a toilet door, he opened it and stepped in, falling to his death.

Police officials said the shaft lacked proper barriers or locks.Inspector K N Bhukan of Sola police said, "There is a toilet inside the ICU ward, but Parmar failed to recognise it and walked out of the ward. There was no one to stop him or guide him back in. The shaft door was not secured, and he walked right into it." Police suspect serious negligence by hospital authorities. No staff was reportedly present or alert enough to prevent Parmar from leaving the ICU, he said, confirming that while a case of accidental death has been registered, police will also examine if criminal negligence charges are applicable.

Police said action will be taken based on evidence collected.Parmar's family is expected to record statements in a few days. Investigators will also question hospital staff. Meanwhile, a source at Sola Civil hospital said that the patient had been receiving age-related and psychiatric issues for a month in general. "We are also probing how he walked till the utility duct shaft, opened its door and fell into it. The opening of the shaft is a couple of feet above ground level," the source added.The incident is similar to one reported from Surat last year. On Aug 30, 2024, Ranjit Babu, 45, a native of Kerala visiting Surat, fell into the elevator shaft of Hotel Tex Plaza when the lift doors opened unexpectedly on the seventh floor. The hotel management faces charges of negligence.A year ago, on Aug 24, 2023, Hasmukh Savsani, a 65-year-old resident of Syamal Upvan Apartment in Rajkot, fell between the building's sixth and seventh floors and died. When a power failure stopped the lift,he exited through the lift doors, lost balance, and fell to his death.