According to Angmo, the family was permitted to have Wangchuk's blood sample tested independently.
New Delhi: Activist Sonam Wangchuk's wife, Gitanjali Angmo, has approached the Delhi High Court seeking urgent intervention to facilitate his transfer from Safdarjung Hospital to a private medical institution, alleging that the family is being denied the freedom to decide his treatment despite growing concerns over his health.
In a statement released on Sunday, Angmo said she no longer trusts the treatment being provided at the government hospital. She claimed the family was informed by doctors that Wangchuk's potassium level had fallen to 2.9, a reading they described as critical and potentially life-threatening.
However, she questioned the hospital's transparency, alleging that while officials verbally communicated the figure to the family, the subsequent public health bulletin avoided mentioning the exact reading and merely referred to "decreasing potassium levels."
According to Angmo, after repeated requests and several hours of waiting, the family was finally permitted to have Wangchuk's blood sample tested independently. She said the private laboratory reported a potassium level of 3.5, which, according to her, falls within the normal range and contradicts the hospital's assessment.
She further alleged that despite multiple appeals, the hospital has refused to discharge Wangchuk or allow him to be shifted to another healthcare facility selected by the family. Angmo also claimed that an extensive police deployment inside the hospital has significantly restricted the movement of family members, creating what she described as an atmosphere of confinement rather than medical care.
Calling the situation "illegal detention," she said the family had no option but to seek judicial relief. Her petition before the Delhi High Court requests an urgent hearing, arguing that Wangchuk should be allowed to receive treatment at a hospital of the family's choice before his condition deteriorates.
Angmo maintained that every family has the right to decide where a loved one receives medical treatment and asserted that this choice should not be denied under the present circumstances.
She also warned that if Wangchuk's health worsens while he remains under the current arrangements, accountability should rest with the hospital administration and the authorities responsible for his continued stay.
Wangchuk was admitted to Safdarjung Hospital after being taken from his protest site, where he had been observing an indefinite hunger strike in support of demands related to alleged irregularities in the NEET examination. While hospital authorities have maintained that prolonged fasting requires continuous medical monitoring, no official response has yet been issued regarding the allegations raised by his wife or the legal proceedings initiated before the High Court.
