KOTTAYAM: With the three mysterious deaths at the Puthujeevan Trust Hospital igniting a controversy, the final findings in the autopsy report is likely to be crucial in the investigation. According to the preliminary report of the forensic medicine department at the Kottayam Government Medical College Hospital, Sherin died of myocarditis, while pneumonia was the cause of Yohannan’s death. However, medical experts are expected to focus on the reasons that led to these conditions, for which the victims’ internal organs will be subjected to chemical examination. “Viral infections or some contagious diseases can lead to myocarditis.
We looked at the possibility of diseases like H1N1, COVID-19, etc., but the results were negative. Something else might have led to the death,” said Dr Jacob Varghese, DMO, Kottayam.Since the platelet counts of the victims were low, samples were also collected during the postmortem examination for blood culturing, to check the possibilities of viral infections. Apart from this, as part of checking the presence of any toxic substance in the body, Health department authorities have also collected water samples from the hospital to check possibilities of heavy metal poisoning.
However, the DMO ruled out such possibilities. “A total of 63 patients and 45 employees — including two psychiatrists and a junior doctor — were in the hospital. If there was food poisoning or water contamination, more people would have been affected,” said Dr Jacob Varghese. According to him, a detailed inquiry is needed to ascertain the reason behind the deaths.
Hosp accused of pollution
According to many of the locals living in the area, the hospital has been functioning under unhygienic conditions. “People in the surrounding areas live in fear, as the hospital has severe pollution issues. At times, an obnoxious smell emanates from the hospital premises and people are unable to stay at their homes without wearing masks. Moreover, an unhygienic drainage in the hospital compound also poses serious health issues,” said M K Manukumar, Youth Congress mandalam president and a local resident.
Not an isolated event?
Manukumar alleged that mysterious deaths have been reported from this hospital before as well. “Earlier, an inmate had committed suicide by hanging from a window. Though there was some mystery surrounding the incident, the investigation did not progress well,” he alleged. Meanwhile, a few other locals claimed that inmates were brutally tortured by the hospital employees on several occasions. “What we demand is a comprehensive inquiry into all the mysterious deaths that were reported from
the hospital,” said an area resident.