TIRUPATHUR: A 22-year-old woman died during delivery at a government hospital here on Tuesday. Angry relatives of the woman took out protests and alleged that medical negligence led to her death.
A Pareedha, of Aarif Nagar, in Tirupathur, was taken to the government hospital (GH) after she developed labour pain, sources said.
Only two nurses, including one trainee, attended to the woman. While delivering the child, Pareedha developed complications leading to uncontrollable bleeding, because of which she died. The baby, however, was saved by the nurses. The condition of the baby, weighing about 3 kg, is stable.
Accusing the authorities of negligence, family members and relatives of the woman laid siege to the GH and demanded immediate action against those responsible for her death.
“The nurses attending to Pareedha did not handle the situation in a proper manner. They were negligent and irresponsible. The doctors on duty came late to attend her,” alleged AR Safiullah, a local leader.
Officials including chief medical officer (CMO) of the GH Dr S Selvakumar and police DSP R Thangavelu pacified the protesters promising them of an inquiry and necessary action accordingly.
The deceased’s father Asgarh has filed a complaint with the CMO demanding action against those responsible for his daughter's death.
Hospital authorities stated that Pareedha had suffered heavy bleeding and subsequent shock that caused the death. “She was so anaemic that she could not tolerate bleeding. Subsequent shock also had a fatal impact. Moreover, the umbilical cord had coiled around the baby’s neck, further complicating the procedure,” Dr Selvakumar told Express.
He felt that had she been taken to the GH a little earlier, the doctors could have saved her life.
Selvakumar noted that it was the first case of complications ending up in the loss of life of mother in the last three years.
“We have attended to about 16,000 deliveries in the last three years. This is the complicated case resulting in death,” he stated.
Departmental Enquiry
Meanwhile, a high-level team of officials have initiated a probe into the death of Pareedha.
The team comprises of Joint Director (Medical Services) M Yasmin, Dean of Govt Vellore Medical College Hospital R Selvi and Deputy Director (Health Services) KST Suresh.
They visited the Tirupathur GH in the afternoon and held inquiries with the doctors and the paramedic staff.
“We are holding the inquiry (on the death). Only after completing the probe, I can tell you whether there was negligence on the part of the staff of the hospital,” Yasmin told Express.