Death of patient at Neyyattinkara General Hospital: IMA seeks probe into negligence allegations

Thiruvananthapuram: After a doctor of Neyyattinkara General Hospital was accused of medical negligence following the death of a 28-year-old patient, the Indian Medical Association (IMA) has demanded a detailed investigation in connection. 

Although the police probing the incident have claimed that they are yet to conclude the doctor's part in the incident due to pending verification of documents and reports, the association has claimed that the doctor had given appropriate treatment to the patient after being approached by her. 

Medical Dialogues team yesterday reported that a 28-year-old woman died after a doctor allegedly gave her the wrong injection while undergoing treatment for kidney stones. The family accused Dr Vinu of Neyyattinkara General Hospital of administering a wrong injection.

Also read- Patient Dies After Wrong Injection At Neyyattinkara General Hospital, State Human Rights Commission Orders Probe

According to the FIR, the deceased woman, who already had some allergy issues, sought treatment from Dr Vinu for kidney stone-related ailments. The doctor showed negligence in performing his duty and administered some injections to the patient without conducting any allergy test on her, the FIR said.

However, the Kerala Government Medical Officers' Association (KGMOA) has rejected the allegations of the woman's family against the doctor. The association, in a statement, claimed that the injection given by the doctor was a usual one being administered to patients suffering from abdomen-related issues. Anaphylaxis, a rapid and severe allergic reaction that can happen due to any medicine, might be the reason for the tragic condition of the woman. "It cannot be considered as a treatment negligence," the KGMOA claimed.

Following the incident, the Kerala State Human Rights Commission (KSHRC) initiated an investigation into the death of a woman following allegations from her husband regarding medical negligence leading to her death. KSHRC's acting chairperson and judicial member K Baijunath directed the Thiruvananthapuram District Medical Officer to provide a report within 15 days.

Speaking about the incident, Dr Joseph Benaven, state president, IMA told TOI, “It is unfortunate that a young woman lost her life at Neyyattinkara govt hospital due to an unexpected critical situation during the treatment. The patient who approached the doctor has been given appropriate treatment. It does not appear that there has been any failure to deal with the serious condition that arose during the course of treatment and the referral to the medical college."

Furthermore, the association also condemned the demand of the deceased’s relatives that the doctor should be suspended.

"Her life could not be saved even with the expert treatment at the medical college. In such situations it is natural to have a complaint against the doctor and the institution. Filing an FIR according to the complaint is the procedure of police. But only after the examination by the expert committee, as per the govt order, the lapses and mistakes, if any, of the doctor or others are decided. Meanwhile, strong legal action should be taken against those who spread the word that the doctor should be arrested charging a criminal case," said Dr K Sasidharan, state secretary of IMA.

Meanwhile, the police recently collected all the documents related to the deceased patient's treatment from the hospital and said they could not conclude that there was negligence on the part of doctors until all the documents were verified.

Speaking to TOI, S B Praveen, Neyyattinkara inspector of police said, "It is too early to make any conclusion. All the reports need to be verified, and we are expecting the autopsy report within a few days."

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