TIRUNELVELI: Alleging that medical negligence led to the death of a four-year-old boy from Tenkasi district, his relatives staged a sit-in protest for more than 12 hours in front of the Tirunelveli Medical College Hospital (TvMCH) dean's office.
They claimed that the boy, M Ponmaran, died after an intern of the B.Sc. in Radiology Imaging Technician improperly administered contrast before a CT scan when the doctors were not available at the time.
The boy's father V Mahendran alleged that Ponmaran died in the morning, but the hospital informed the family only at night. He demanded that a case be registered against the doctors. "We initially took Ponmaran to a private hospital in Sankarankovil to treat a lump (neri katti) on his neck.
After being referred, we brought him to TvMCH on February 10. He was active and playing well until he was taken for a CT scan on February 12," Mahendran said.
The boy's uncle V Madasamy, who was present in the scan room around 9 am, said, "When the intern inserted the syringe to administer the contrast, Ponmaran screamed. Despite this, the intern forcibly injected the contrast, using both hands to apply pressure on the syringe.
Soon after, Ponmaran fell unconscious. The intern panicked and left the room without removing the syringe, which fell to the ground. With no doctors present, I rushed Ponmaran to the emergency ward."
V Surya Prakash, another relative, claimed that had doctors been present to guide the intern and treat the child immediately, his life could have been saved.
"My brother Mahendran lost his wife just a year ago. Now, he has lost his son too. He deserves compensation for his loss. The hospital administration is trying to silence us using the police," alleged V Kanakammal, Ponmaran's aunt.
Commenting on TNIE's post on X about the issue, former health minister Dr C Vijayabaskar said the incident highlighted serious lapses in Tamil Nadu's healthcare system, including medical negligence and delayed communication. "I strongly urge the Tamil Nadu Health Ministry to conduct a thorough investigation and implement systemic reforms to prevent such tragedies in the future," he posted.
Dean denies allegations
TvMCH Dean Dr C Revathy Balan denied the allegations made by Ponmaran's family. "Ponmaran was admitted for treatment of generalised lymphadenopathy. The process for evaluation and biopsy was underway to determine if he had Hodgkin lymphoma. He underwent a CT scan on Wednesday morning.
During imaging, he developed sudden rigorous movement, prompting staff to stop the procedure and shift him to the emergency unit. He was in shock when he arrived, after which he was intubated, stabilized and moved to the Paediatric Intensive Care Unit on ventilator and inotropic (adrenaline) support. Opinions from an anaesthetist, cardiologist and neurologist were obtained, and intensive treatment was provided," she said.
Revathy added that despite all efforts, the child suffered a cardiac arrest and died at 9.10 pm. "The possible causes of death include generalised lymphadenopathy, lymphoma, anaphylactic shock, and cardiorespiratory arrest. A police inquiry and an internal hospital investigation have been initiated," she said.
Relatives receive body as MLA assures compensation
Meanwhile, Ponmaran's relatives received his body in the evening on Thursday after talks with Sankarankovil MLA E Raja. "Based on the postmortem report, action will be initiated against the health staff, if found guilty. Mahendran's two girl children will be given monthly assistance of Rs 4,000 through the school education department.
Ponmaran's uncle and aunt will be given a temporary job in TvMCH, with a monthly salary of Rs 10,000. Apart from this, the Tenkasi DMK unit will give `two lakh compensation to each of Mahendran’s two daughters," Raja told TNIE.