CHENNAI: Within three hours of being admitted to the Government District Headquarters Hospital in Tambaram, a 23-year-old man from Melathur in Kancheepuram district died of suspected dengue on Tuesday night. His family has accused the hospital of medical negligence.
In a complaint filed on Wednesday at the Somangalam police station, the family alleged that wrong treatment could have caused his death. The complaint states that the duty doctor gave him intravenous fluids and advised rest, and when he developed breathing difficulty within an hour, told them it would settle slowly. The doctor arrived to check his pulse only when they raised an alarm again, and the patient collapsed while being taken to the emergency ward.
According to police sources, he was admitted around 5.30 pm on October 20, when his fever worsened, and a fresh blood sample was sent for testing. At 8.47 pm, doctors told the family that he had died and that they had tried everything but could not save him.
His fever had begun on October 17, police added. The doctor at a private clinic reportedly told the family it was not a cause for concern and sent him home.
When the fever did not subside, they took him back to a hospital, where a blood test was advised. The test at a private laboratory on October 20 came back positive for dengue.
