Even as hopes to see acid attack victim Vinothini back on her feet were shattered on Tuesday with the news of her demise, the techie’s family said negligence on the part of the doctors during a medical emergency was the reason for her untimely death.
An inconsolable Jayapal, father of Vinothini, recalled how his daughter suffered in pain during the treatment. Her relatives were told that her condition was improving, he added. “They said she was responding well to the treatment. But suddenly, they said she died. We were hopeful that she would recover and stay alive,” said Jayapal, a security guard.
Vinothini was under treatment at a private hospital in Kilpauk. The 23-year-old’s relatives, devastated and livid, said Vinothini’s assailant should also meet an end like hers. “He would die in few minutes if he is hanged. He should go through what Vinothihi went through,” Jayapal said.
Vinothini’s uncle Ramesh alleged that it was negligence on the part of the doctors that took her life. “We kept telling the doctors to stay with her as she had breathing problems. Even on Tuesday morning, we made repeated calls to the doctor after she could not breathe properly. But the doctor said he was in an operation and that there was nothing to worry about. Around 9 am, they said she was no more,” he charged.
Ramesh said they brought Vinothini back to the private hospital only because they were happy with the treatment. But the doctors failed to respond at the hour of crisis, he charged.
“They did give her good treatment. But they did not do anything when she needed them,” Ramesh alleged.
Besides Suresh, who was arrested for allegedly throwing acid at Vinothini on November 14 last, the three others who were involved in the attack should also be apprehended, he demanded.
When asked, Dr Jayaraman, who treated Vinothini till the end, said her parents were regularly apprised of her condition.
“I visited her at night. She was fine then. When they called in the morning, I was working elsewhere. But I reached the hospital as early as possible and we did our best. It is natural for relatives to blame someone when they lose their loved ones,” the doctor said. Earlier, Dr Jayaprakash of the same hospital had said Vinothini was being treated there for the past two months and that the hospital had all facilities to give her the best care.
Meanwhile, a pall of gloom descended in Vinothini’s native MMG Nagar near Karaikal as news of her death spread. Residents put up posters expressing sorrow and praying that her soul rest in peace.