66-year-old dies after snakebite at Tamil Nadu Hospital, inquiry ordered

Tenkasi: Health officials have launched an inquiry into allegations of medical negligence following the death of a 66-year-old man after a snakebite at Kadayanallur Government Hospital in Tenkasi district on Saturday.

Joint Director of Health Services, Virudhunagar, Kaliraj, visited the hospital on Monday and questioned the medical staff who were on duty when the victim was brought in. 

According to the news reports, the deceased, a snack vendor, was rushed to the government hospital after being bitten by a snake on Saturday morning. He subsequently died, reportedly due to the effects of the venom.

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Speaking to TNIE, relatives of the deceased said that when his son took him to the government hospital around 5.45 am, no doctor was available. “Though we demanded that a doctor should attend to him and administer anti-snake venom, the nurses provided only first aid. As time passed, the patient's condition worsened. When a duty doctor arrived at the room after 7 am, he had died,” they said.

The family members accused the doctors and nurses at the hospital of failing to provide immediate and appropriate treatment. The allegations sparked protests and tension on the hospital premises, with many people gathering to express concern over the incident.

In the wake of these allegations, Joint Director of Health Services, Tenkasi, Premalatha visited the Kadayanallur Government Hospital and issued memos to the nurses and the doctor on duty, asking them to give their explanation for the alleged “wilful medical negligence”, reports the Hindu.

Taking note of the incident, Minister for Public Health Arunraj expressed grief over the patient’s death and directed Kaliraj, Joint Director of Health Services, Virudhunagar, to conduct a detailed inquiry.

Acting on the directive, Kaliraj visited Kadayanallur Government Hospital on Monday and questioned the doctors, nurses and other hospital staff who were on duty when Sudarmani was brought in.

As part of the investigation, Kaliraj examined the hospital's CCTV footage to collect relevant information about the incident.

He also met the deceased patient’s family members to hear their account of the events and spoke with other patients at the hospital to gather additional details.

Meanwhile, health officials led by joint director of health services Dr Premalatha conducted an inquiry at the hospital. She said a doctor was in the hospital’s duty room, but the nurses had failed to inform him about the victim. “The nurses informed the doctor only after the man collapsed. We have issued memos to two nurses in this connection. If they had alerted the doctor, anti-snake venom could have been administered to the victim,” she added, reports TNIE

The inquiry is expected to examine the circumstances surrounding the delay in treatment and the alleged failure to alert the duty doctor. The incident has renewed concerns over timely emergency care and the prompt administration of anti-snake venom to snakebite victims at government hospitals.

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