GUNTUR: Five-year-old Aradhya whose health condition had worsened after she underwent an operation at Guntur Government Hospital, died at Ramesh Hospital on Saturday morning.
Going into the case details, Yedukondalu and Mohana Pavani of Ankireddypalem admitted their daughter Aradhya to Guntur Government Hospital for a minor surgery to remove a small tumour below her eye. The doctors performed the surgery on May 7 during which the girl developed complications and she was put on ventilator.
Speaking to The New Indian Express, Guntur Government Hospital Superintendent Dr Neelam Prabhavathi said the girl suffered a heart attack while being operated but the doctors managed to restore her heartbeat, but her brain had become unresponsive, so we shifted her immediately to the ICU.
When the parents of the girl expressed doubt that her condition worsened due to the 'negligence' of the GGH doctors, District Collector M Venugopal Reddy enquired about the matter and on the request of her parents, the girl was shifted to Ramesh Hospital on May 9.
Reacting to it, Principal Secretary (Health, Medical and Family Welfare) MT Krishna Babu ordered an inquiry on May 10 and set up a three-member committee comprising Dr Padmavathi, Principal of Guntur Medical College, Prof K Sundarachari, Head of Neuro Medicine at Vijayawada GGH, and Prof A Vishnuvardhan Reddy, Head of Anesthesia at Siddhartha Medical College, to probe the incident.
The committee held a meeting with the doctors who were involved in the surgery, and took their written statements. They reportedly mentioned that the girl suffered bradycardia during the surgery. The committee also visited the girl at Ramesh Hospital, examined the records and submitted a report to the Directorate of Medical Education on Tuesday night.
Upon receiving a complaint from the girl's parents, the Collector has also set up an inquiry committee, comprising Guntur RDO and four doctors and directed it to submit a report within two days. The girl's condition remained critical even after she was shifted to Ramesh Hospital.
She was kept in the ICU under the care of a team of doctors, including a pediatrician, cardiologist, neurologist and anesthesiologist. Despite provision of the best medical care, Aradhya died around 8 am on Saturday. Her parents were devastated and demanded that stern action be taken against those responsible for the death of their daughter.