Govt reopens Murugan Medical negligence case with DME, two doctors questioned
The Directorate of Medical Education(DME), has been directed by the government to seek an explanation from the two doctors who attended to Murugan, a migrant labourer in the casualty wing, when he was brought into the Government Medical College Hospital (MCH) in August last year.
Murugan was driven into the MCH casualty from Kollam, as several private hospitals there had refused to take him in for further treatment saying that they did not have free ventilators to provide life support to him.
At the MCH too, the situation wasn’t different, the doctors in the casualty on examining Murugan, did not grant admission saying that there was no free ventilator available. Murugan had then been taken back to Kollam, however, by then it was too late and the man succumbed to his injuries.
His death had raised a public outcry in the state, leading to the government being forced to constitute a three-member expert committee, headed by the Director of Health Services, to inquire into the alleged mishandling of the case and denial of medical assistance ending up in Murugan being moved to and from between hospitals at Kollam and Thiruvananthapuram MCH.
Read Also: Medical Board set up by govt to investigate Murugan’s death
The inquiry report which had till now had been kept away from public scrutiny found a mention in the government’s letter to the DME dated February 2, seeking an explanation from the doctors attending on Murugan at the casualty. The letter quotes the inquiry report as saying that though the patient was examined by the junior resident, he had not documented the case and neither had he admitted the patient.
“The junior resident, Patrick Paul, had examined the patient along with the duty nurse and considering the need for ventilator support, had made enquiries over phone...there were no ventilators available and he had informed duty medical officer Srikanth about the clinical status of Murugan they offered the option of admitting the patient and managing with the AMBU bag till ventilator support and ICU bed were available. However, no OP ticket was taken and no further follow up was done,” reported The Hindu
Read Also: Doctor arrests likely at Thiruvananthapuram Medical College, medical fraternity shows anger
Murugan was driven into the MCH casualty from Kollam, as several private hospitals there had refused to take him in for further treatment saying that they did not have free ventilators to provide life support to him.
At the MCH too, the situation wasn’t different, the doctors in the casualty on examining Murugan, did not grant admission saying that there was no free ventilator available. Murugan had then been taken back to Kollam, however, by then it was too late and the man succumbed to his injuries.
His death had raised a public outcry in the state, leading to the government being forced to constitute a three-member expert committee, headed by the Director of Health Services, to inquire into the alleged mishandling of the case and denial of medical assistance ending up in Murugan being moved to and from between hospitals at Kollam and Thiruvananthapuram MCH.
Read Also: Medical Board set up by govt to investigate Murugan’s death
The inquiry report which had till now had been kept away from public scrutiny found a mention in the government’s letter to the DME dated February 2, seeking an explanation from the doctors attending on Murugan at the casualty. The letter quotes the inquiry report as saying that though the patient was examined by the junior resident, he had not documented the case and neither had he admitted the patient.
“The junior resident, Patrick Paul, had examined the patient along with the duty nurse and considering the need for ventilator support, had made enquiries over phone...there were no ventilators available and he had informed duty medical officer Srikanth about the clinical status of Murugan they offered the option of admitting the patient and managing with the AMBU bag till ventilator support and ICU bed were available. However, no OP ticket was taken and no further follow up was done,” reported The Hindu
Read Also: Doctor arrests likely at Thiruvananthapuram Medical College, medical fraternity shows anger
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