Kerala: Medical negligence alleged over woman's death

ALAPPUZHA: Relatives protested at the Alappuzha Medical College Hospital alleging medical negligence in the death of a young woman on Monday after delivering baby girl ten days ago. Ambalappuzha police said Barbara, 36, wife of Sibichan, Vandanam, who developed stomach pain and breathing problems after delivery was in the intensive care unit. The newborn is out of danger. They had registered a case based on her husband's complaint.

Relatives said doctors did not give her proper attention after delivery and demanded an inquest and postmortem.  Based on the demands, sub-collector and tahsildar conducted an inquest, and a team of police surgeons performed a postmortem and released the body to relatives. In another case of medical negligence, a three-metre-long surgical cloth came out from the vagina of a woman, who delivered a few days ago here, when she went to the toilet at home. 

After seeing the cloth, she fell unconscious and got admitted to the same hospital. She had been suffering pain since the delivery. Though she consulted doctors again, they prescribed painkillers, her relatives said. MCH superintendent Dr R. V. Ramlal said he had ordered a detailed inquiry into both cases.  The blood pressure variation after delivery could be the reason for death, and it can only be confirmed after receiving postmortem report.