Violence broke out at a private hospital here on Wednesday, following the death of a 26-year-old woman allegedly due to medical negligence.
The police had to resort to lathicharge to control the situation when a mob, consisting of locals and the woman’s relatives, ransacked the hospital pharmacy.
The hospital authorities stated that the patient died due to cardiac arrest.
Priya of Chalikkavattom was admitted to Welcare Hospital at Vyttila by 10 am after she complained of body pain and vomiting.
The family, including her two children, had returned from a pilgrimage to Velankanni two days ago.
According to the family, she was initially given two injections, but her condition worsened by afternoon and she was shifted to the ICU.
When her husband Sujith met her around 1 pm, Priya told him that she was feeling weak.
“Later the doctors said that she has to be shifted to another hospital, but by then she had died,” said Priya’s neighbour Sudharma Santhosh.
Sujith is a contingency worker with the waste removal wing of the city Corporation. “They did not give timely treatment to my wife,” he alleged.
The hospital authorities said Priya’s blood pressure had dipped and an ECG variation was detected. Although they had referred her to the cardiac wing, she could not be saved and by 5 pm, she died of cardiac arrest.
The services of the hospital were disrupted for a few hours due to the ruckus.
Dr J George, who had treated her, had to be whisked away from the hospital with the help of police officials.
The mob then smashed the glass panels of the pharmacy and damaged the chairs at the visitors’ area.
Panangad Sub-Inspector A B Vibin said a case would be registered against the doctor on the basis of Sujith’s complaint.