Bengaluru: Hospital clarifies on Yemeni patient's loss of hearing

Bengaluru: DC had published a report titled “Yemeni’s plight: Kidney lost! Now can’t hear too” on October 13, based on the documents accessed from the patient’s family members and they are in Deccan Chronicle’s possession.

However, Fortis Hospital Bannerghatta Road clarified that Dr Rajanna Sreedhara, whose name was mentioned in the article, was not involved in the treatment of Yemeni patient Anwer Abdullah. It was another nephrologist from Fortis who was taking care of the dialysis need of the patient and it was he who corrected the dosage of Amikacin injection from 250 mg to 500 mg. The patient’s family alleges that this injection caused the hearing loss (a known common side-effect) of Anwer. However, the patient had been counseled regarding the side-effect by the primary doctor at another private hospital.

The hospital also clarified that the appropriate dosage of Amikacin for treatment of Mycobacterial disease for the patient was 500 mg after each dialysis, considering her body weight and kidney failure status. This dose is much less than the dose recommended for a patient without kidney failure who would get two injections every day.

It was only much later it was learnt that the patient in fact did not follow-up regularly with the lung doctors at that other private hospital as was repeatedly advised. In the first week of August, the patient stopped taking Amikacin injections on the advice of doctors in another hospital. Fortis also clarified that they have received no communication from the Yemeni Embassy/Consulate regarding this patient’s grievance.