KOLLAM/THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: Yet another incident of alleged lapses by medical authorities has come from Kerala. Sulaiman Kunju, an 85-year-old COVID-19 patient from Thalavoor, is the latest victim of hospital staff's carelessness.
Unaware that Sulaiman died five days ago, his son Noushad kept providing food and clothes for his father at the Government Medical College in Parippally. For all these five days, Sulaiman's unidentified body was lying at the mortuary of the Government Medical College in Thiruvananthapuram.
According to Noushad, though a couple of contacts were provided during the admission at Punalur Taluk Hospital, no efforts were made to inform them about his father's death. Instead, the body was tagged as unknown and shifted to the hospital's mortuary. "It is depressing that all these days we inquired about another person's health and provide food and clothes, whereas my father lay in the mortuary's cold chamber," said Noushad.
It was on August 26 that Sulaiman was rushed to the Punalur Taluk Hospital after complaining of uneasiness. Fifteen days later, he tested positive for COVID-19 in the hospital. The authorities informed Noushad that his father would be shifted to Parippally Medical College.
"The taluk officials informed that as he tested positive, he is being shifted to Parippally medical college. Next day when I reached there with the food, they informed me that my father was not there. Then after further enquiry, the hospital authorities informed he was taken to a COVID centre in SN college. As his condition deteriorated, he was then shifted from there to the District Hospital, Kollam. After a few days, as his condition was not getting stable, he was referred to Paripally Medical College, informed DH officials," said Noushad.
Noushad then kept visiting the Government Medical College, Parippally, and offered food and clothes, which went to another COVID-19 patient with the same name in the hospital. On October 16, after the hospital authorities informed Noushad that his father tested negative and was shifted to a ward, he went to check on him. Only then did he realise that the person to whom he was delivering food was some other Sulaiman Kunju from Karunagappaly.
Hospital officials informed him that the confusion was because both patients had the same name. Later, after an inquiry by hospital officials, he was informed that his father was never admitted to Parippally Medical College. Instead he was taken to GMC, Thiruvananthapuram, due to the lack of ICU beds at Parippally Hospital.
He was told that his father had died on October 13 and his body has been kept in the mortuary of GMCH, Thiruvananthapuram. Sulaiman Kunju's body was received by Noushad on October 17 and his body was buried in compliance with COVID protocols on the same day.
"I received no call from any health officials regarding my father. I have no complaints to register in the incident. I am just glad that at least we got an opportunity to bury his body with all rituals. I just hope that such incidents do not happen again with anyone else and the hospital staff be more careful in informing the family members regarding the patient's whereabouts," said Noushad.
However, according to the health authorities, the issue happened due to the mistake in recording Sulaiman's address. Though The New Indian Express contacted GMCH superintendent Dr MS Sharmad, he remained unavailable for comment.
It's not the first time that the Thiruvananthapuram Government Medical College Hospital has faced charges of negligence in the time of COVID-19. The GMCH had earlier courted controversy after it swapped the bodies of two COVID-19 victims while handing them over to the families. The incident came to light after medical college principal Dr Sara Varghese ordered a probe into it.
It turned out that instead of releasing the body of a COVID-19 patient residing at Venniyoor, the authorities handed over the body of another COVID-19 patient. The incident was probed by GMCH resident medical officer Dr Mohan Roy and the findings or follow-up action are yet to be made public.