Kochi: Even after three months since the death of medico Shamna Tasnim, the police, with a casual approach, is clinging on to the one-liner of the medical board report rejecting charges of gross medical negligence.
There are enough leads in it for the police to identify contradictions using which it can question more people and find out the truth. Interestingly, they say they had questioned eyewitnesses even before the medical board’s report came.
Police is overlooking the most glaring contradictions between the nurse's record and the doctor's progress sheet entries after 2 pm on July 18 when a junior resident doctor saw Ms Tasnim.
The medical board report says, “as per the nurse's record, the alleged medicine Ceftriaxone full dose was given at 3 pm after giving test dose at 2.30 pm. The patient developed chest discomfort and the duty sister informed the duty doctor Dr Krishnamohan. But we could observe a clear disparity on the documentation of timing of the injection Ceftriaxone in the nurses record and the doctors progress sheet (Pages No 12, 13, 17, 19) which has to be observed and explained.
"As per the nurses record, medicines recommended for the management of anaphylactic reaction were given at 3.05 pm, that is immediately following the development of symptoms after Ceftriaxone injection, that is 5 minutes following the symptoms the patient was shifted to MICU and duty associate professor attended the patient at 3.30 pm (as per the case sheet). It was observed that these above mentioned drugs administered as per nurses record from 3.05 pm were not documented on doctors order sheet (Page No 12) until 3.30 pm.”
“The major lapse is about the 20 minutes' delay in shifting her to the ICU, which the students had confirmed, and about taking measures for her immediate resuscitation after administering Ceftriaxone," said a social activist.
“Police has a responsibility to re-question doctors and nurses to find out the truth.”
“As per nurse's record drugs for resuscitation started at 3.05 pm, but the duty doctor attended the patient at 3.30 pm. How can the nurse give drugs without the orders of the doctor? It is a serious lapse. It is a big question what happened between 3.05 pm and 3.30 pm,” he pointed out.
The medical board report while recording that the junior resident had seen the patient at 2.00 pm finds that “the time of examination was stricken off in the Xerox copy”.
