It was double trouble for Thangam Hospital here on Wednesday when allegations of medical negligence strengthened following three deaths on successive days at the hospital.
Following the death of a woman and her newborn in childbirth a couple of days ago, another woman too lost her life during surgical procedures at the hospital on Tuesday night.
Karthika, 29, daughter of Haridas from Kongad, died as she failed to recover from anesthesia while preparing for surgery. A victim of juvenile rheumatoid arthritis (JRA), Karthika was being prepared for surgery to help her lead a normal life. But the surgery was cancelled as she developed complications during the procedure. She died following a heart attack while attempts were on to bring her back from sedation.
Family’s charge
Her family alleged that Karthika died of failure in giving anesthesia. They also alleged that the hospital had delayed in informing them of the death.
Several organisations, including the Bharatiya Janata Yuva Morcha and the DYFI, took out marches to the hospital demanding action against those responsible for the deaths.
The CPI(M) district committee, in memorandum to Health Minister Veena George, sought a comprehensive investigation into the back-to-back deaths at the hospital.
The government has sought reports from the District Medical Officer and the District Administration about the situation leading to the deaths.
Probe on
The police, meanwhile, went about investigating the cases and seized the casesheets from the hospital.
District Collector Mrunmai Joshi said that further action would be on the basis of the post-mortem reports. She said no order was issued for any punitive action against the hospital. “We will have to examine if the deaths happened because of medical negligence as alleged,” she said.
Thangam Hospital managing director R. Rajmohan Nair said here on Wednesday that everything possible was done to save Karthika. “What happened was beyond our control. It was unfortunate,” he said.
The Indian Medical Association (IMA) and the Indian Society of Anesthesiologists (ISA) said in a joint statement that Karthika’s death was not due to any medical negligence. “We are sad to see that deliberate attempts were being made to destroy the morale of doctors engaged in public health care,” said IMA district president Arun N.M. and ISA district secretary Deepak Falgunan.
