Discontent is brewing over allegations of medical negligence in the sudden death of a 40-year-old man at the Ernakulam Government Medical College Hospital, Kalamassery, on Sunday (September 27), when he was on the verge of being discharged after undergoing surgery for multiple leg fractures.
The incident snowballed into a controversy after the family of the deceased alleged a delay in providing emergency medical care after he collapsed. The deceased was identified as P.S. Haleelur Rahman, a native of Mattancherry, employed at the Cochin Fisheries Harbour, Thoppumpady. He is survived by his unemployed wife and three children aged seven, five and three.
The Democratic Youth Federation of India (DYFI), the CPI(M) and the All India Youth Federation (AIYF) staged a protest at the hospital demanding action against the staff members who were on duty. The hospital management said that while Rahman’s death could be due to a sudden heart attack, it could be confirmed only after an autopsy.
Rahman had been referred to the Medical College from the Ernakulam General Hospital, where he was taken after meeting with a two-wheeler accident in Mattancherry on September 22. Diagnosed with three fractures in his right leg, he underwent surgery on September 25, following which he was shifted from the post-operative unit to the surgical ward.
Reportedly, Rahman had been cleared for discharge on Sunday. According to the family, he returned from the bathroom on Sunday morning and suddenly started sweating profusely before collapsing unconscious. Despite raising the alarm, neither doctors nor nurses were available immediately to provide emergency care, including cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR), they alleged.
The family further alleged that the RMO in charge, the Deputy Superintendent and the Superintendent turned up for discussions with the family, union leaders and political representatives only around 5 p.m. They also questioned the timeline surrounding Rahman’s death. While the family maintained that they were informed of his death around 10.30 a.m., the official records have indicated a later time.
Hospital management sources said that an ECG taken between 10.35 a.m. and 10.40 a.m. showed complications and that the death certificate recorded the time of death as 11.15 a.m. According to a preliminary internal inquiry, the patient had been attended to and shifted to the ICU after attempts to resuscitate him failed.
“We have appointed a five-member committee comprising four heads of departments and the Deputy Superintendent. The committee held its first meeting on Monday (September 28) and has been asked to submit a preliminary report within five days after recording statements from all parties concerned, including bystanders,” hospital management sources said.
Meanwhile, the family has lodged a complaint with the Kalamassery police alleging criminal negligence and has also submitted a petition to the hospital authorities seeking the suspension of the doctors and nurses who were on duty. Police officials said an investigation was under way and that further action would depend on the findings of the post-mortem examination conducted on Monday.
