PUDUKKOTTAI: Blaming medical negligence for a 22-year-old woman’s death soon after delivery on Sunday, her family members and locals have urged the health minister for action against those at the government hospital (GH) in Aranthangi who treated her.
While the protesters allege the woman’s death to be the third such incident at the GH in the past four months, health officials said an inquiry will be held in accordance with the minister’s instructions. According to sources, a pregnant Aishwarya J came down from Tindivanam four months ago to stay with her mother at Rajendrapuram.
Heeding to a private doctor’s advice, Aishwarya approached the Aranthangi GH on Saturday morning to seek treatment for high blood pressure. The duty doctor, citing her critical medical condition, however, arranged for her delivery the same day after consent from her family members.
"As we agreed to the operation, Aishwarya was taken to the operation theatre around 10 pm and by 2 am, she along with the two girls she delivered were shifted to the post-operative ward. Around 3 am my daughter died of suffocation.
There was negligence, no clear communication and a lack of basic care by the hospital administration," said her mother Suriya K. Aishwarya was cremated on Sunday. On Monday ahead of Health Minister Ma Subramanian’s visit to Aranthangi GH to inaugurate a building on campus, Aishwarya’s family members and villagers staged a dharna in front of the hospital demanding action against the medical staff who treated her.
The minister assured the protesters of an inquiry into Aishwarya’s death. Local CPM worker Karna said, "Aranthangi GH is acutely understaffed. Aishwarya’s death is the third in four months at the hospital." When contacted, Chief Medical Officer (CMO) Sekar told TNIE said,
"The patient (Aishwarya) was admitted with BP issues but the duty doctor observed her uterus starting to open due to which the delivery was suggested. The two babies delivered weighed about 2.5 kg each and her placenta, nearly 1 kg -- all these weakened the patient. It's a rare case, but the family isn’t understanding of the technicalities. The hospital did its best to save the patient." District Joint Director Of Health Services K Ramu said an inquiry will be initiated as per the health minister’s orders.