THOOTHUKUDI: Claiming that their 9-year-old son died hours after being admitted to the Thoothukudi Medical College Hospital (TKMCH) on January 17, allegedly due to negligence, a couple submitted a petition to District Collector G Lakshmipathy.
In their petition, the couple Maheswari and Karupasamy of Anna Nagar said that their only son, K Muthumanikandan, a class four student, was admitted to TKMCH following severe stomach ache early on January 17. After a checkup, the doctor admitted him as an inpatient and ordered a scan. However, there was no technician on duty as it was a Pongal holiday.
“Despite our repeated requests to various staffers, they refused to arrange a technician. When the doctor concerned was alerted about the unavailability of technicians, the doctor proceeded without a scan report. Later, he transfused blood and we were clueless as to why this was done. We were also told to leave the ward and were prevented from taking photos during the procedure. They also snatched our phones and deleted photos taken by a relative,” Maheswari alleged.
Reportedly, Muthumanikandan died within a few minutes. The couple alleged that the doctor asked them to take the body and cremate it immediately, and not intimate others about the death.
“The doctors, nurses and technicians are responsible for my son’s murder,” Maheswari alleged and appealed to Chief Minister MK Stalin to take action against the erring staff who were on duty between 6 am and 2.20 pm on January 17.
Demanding justice for Muthumanikandan, the couple urged the district administration to register a murder case against those responsible. When contacted, TKMCH dean Dr Sivakumar did not respond.