Patient death: Rights panel sends notice to Kerala Chief Secretary

Kochi: Another case of medical negligence has come up from the Ernakulam Government Medical College, which is still smarting from the death of its own medico Shamna Tasneem.

The National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) has asked state Chief Secretary to submit a report in two weeks on a complaint filed by an old woman in this regard.

In the complaint, Selin Arooja, a native of Moolampilly here, has alleged that her 40-year-old son, a psychiatric patient, was denied treatment at the hospital, following which he died over a year ago and none took any remedial measures and not even the post-mortem was done nor any compensation given to her.

NHRC in the notice said the complainant had alleged that her son John Possy died on December 26, 2015, at the medical college due to the callous negligence of the physician on duty named Dr Omana Menon.

“She has further alleged that, at the instance of the accused doctor, no post mortem was conducted on the dead body despite public demand. She has further submitted that Dr V. V. Bibin Jeevan and Dr Sivasankaran Nair had filed complaints dated 28.12.2015 to the medical superintendent of the college and the principal. In the internal enquiry conducted by the Medical College Hospital, it was revealed that the facts alleged in these complaints were true and there was callous negligence and utter disregard of medical ethics in refusing treatment to the deceased John Possey by Dr Omana Menon and others thereby causing death of John Possey,” the notice said.

The NHRC has directed the Chief Secretary to issue notice to Dr Omana Menon asking her to submit an explanation in the matter.