ALAPPUZHA: Health department has started a probe into repeated controversies and failure on the part of employees and health staff in giving proper treatment to Covid patients thereby denting the image of Alappuzha Medical College Hospital (MCH).
In a latest incident, the hospital authorities informed relatives of a Covid patient that he had died on Friday evening. The relatives made all arrangements for cremation and reached the MCH with an ambulance on Saturday morning to take the body to their native place. But soon they realised that the ‘dead person’ was alive and under treatment in the Covid ward of the hospital.
On Friday evening, another incident of laxity happened after the relatives of a Cherthala native received the body of another man from Kayamkulam who had died of Covid at the hospital. When the body was brought to their home at Cherthala and the cremation process started, the relatives found that the body was that of another man.
On Friday morning the hospital authorities informed the relatives of Kumaran, a native of Cherthala, that he had died at the MCH. After completing all formalities, they released the body to his relative by 7.30 pm on Friday. When the body reached home by 10 pm, the relatives opened the bag and found that the body was not that of Kumaran. They returned to the MCH by night and learnt that it was the body of Remanan 70, of Krishnapuram, Kayamkulam, that was given to them by the hospital staff.
Meanwhile, the authorities informed the relatives of Remanan that he had died by 3 pm. Later the relatives reached the hospital and demanded the body by 8 pm. While they demanded the body, the relatives of Kumaran were returning with the body of Remanan and both groups entered into an altercation. After checking the body in the ambulance, relatives of Remanan found that it was the body that they were searching.
Later the authorities handed over the body of Kumaran to relatives. Both Remanan and Kumaran were in the ventilator of the Covid ward of the MCH. At the same time, the hospital staff committed another blunder by informing the relatives of Ramanan 52, of Pallickal, Bharanikavu, that he had died in the ICU of MCH. The relatives made all arrangements for funeral and conveyed the message that the funeral will be held on Saturday and pasted posters announcing his death in different parts of the village.
They reached the hospital to take the body home with an ambulance on Saturday morning. After they reached the MCH, the authorities informed that he was alive in the ICU. Officials said that the person entrusted to inform the relatives about the death of Kayamkulam native Remanan mistakenly informed the relatives of Bharanikavu native Remanan which was the reason for the mess. Few weeks ago the bodies of a Kollam native and a Chengannur native were handed over to their relatives a few days after their deaths. This had kicked up a controversy. The latest mix-up of bodies and misleading information to relatives happened at a time when an inquiry is progressing into the issues that happened earlier.
PROBE TO BE CONDUCTED
Pathanamthitta: Health Minister Veena George has said that a probe will be conducted into the allegations of failure in handling Covid situation at Alappuzha Medical College Hospital on Saturday. Speaking to reporters here, the minister said that it is a big relief that so far all the samples tested negative for Nipah. “Though people with fever were identified, they did not have any connection with the child who died due to Nipah. Their samples were collected for Nipah and Covid tests. However, they will be under observation for 21 days as per protocol,” she said.