CHENNAI: A 26-year-old pregnant police constable died of meningitis without responding to treatment at the Government Kilpauk Medical College Hospital on Thursday. Relatives of the constable have alleged medical negligence. The hospital management, however, denied it.
A senior government doctor at the Government Kilpauk Medical College Hospital said Menaka was in her first trimester, and admitted to the hospital on August 31 with complaints of fever, vomiting and headache. She was brought to the hospital in a bad condition, and tested negative for dengue.
The doctor said she was diagnosed with meningitis - inflammation of the membrane that covers the brain and spinal cord. It could have been caused by a bacteria, virus or parasites.
Testing of cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) could have confirmed the cause, but since it was risky given her condition, it could not be done, added the doctor. Her brain was completely swollen.
After her death on Thursday, relatives and friends of the deceased assembled in large numbers at the hospital and alleged that doctors didn’t give her proper treatment.
They claimed that the treatment was started only when they came to know she was a police constable, and after the issue was escalated to the senior officers in the police department.
They also said that the hospital didn’t allow her to be shifted to another hospital and the staff were rude.
Health Minister Ma Subramanian said senior officers in the police department were briefed about her condition and were aware of the complications in the case. “There is no medical negligence as alleged by the relatives of the deceased,” he said.
Director of Public Health Dr T S Selvavinayagam said since it’s the death of a pregnant woman, it will be audited.