KOCHI: A day after a nursing officer with the Government Medical College Hospital (MCH) in Ernakulam was suspended for having posted a voice clip alleging negligence by the hospital authorities in the death of Covid-19 patient C K Harris, an MCH doctor has come out with a startling revelation.
Implying that the suspended nursing officer, Jalaja Devi, was telling the truth, Dr Najma Salim said the ventilator tubes were not connected properly to the patient.
“Though the patient had a facemask on, the ventilator was not connected properly. While the doctor on duty informed senior doctors, they asked the duty doctor not to make an issue of it. I too have faced similar instances,” Dr Najma alleged. She said it was wrong to initiate disciplinary action against Jalaja. “The doctors who didn’t report the issue are guilty too and should be held responsible,” she said. Dr Najma expressed fear that she too will have to face action for having spoken out.
However, MCH refuted the allegations. Addressing a news conference here, Dr V Sathish, the MCH principal, said Harris was suffering from comorbidities, including diabetes, high blood pressure and obesity, which may have accentuated health issues, resulting in his death.“On the day he died, Dr Najma was not on duty in the ICU. The doctors on ICU duty that day didn’t report any such incident,” he said.
Earlier, Dr Najma told a TV channel that she was not citing negligence as the reason for the patient’s death. “What I’m saying is that there have been recurring instances of negligence on the part of the medical staff at the MCH. I was expecting at least senior doctors to take note of the laxity and initiate steps to correct the errors. But to my disappointment, that didn’t happen,” she said.