A doctor at the government medical college hospital in Kochi has mentioned numerous cases of patients not given proper ventilator support and two deaths in August because of medical negligence. The doctor mentioned about negligence days after a nursing officer at the hospital alleged in an audio clip that a COVID patient died gasping for oxygen,

The state government had claimed that it was a proposition to defame the healthcare sector, whereas authorities at the medical college had denied the allegations of the nursing officer.

On Wednesday, Dr Najma Salim, working at the medical ICU at the hospital, shared with the media a WhatsApp audio message which she had also sent to the hospital RMO last month to highlight the incidents of medical negligence. She said that she had alerted hospital authorities earlier about the negligence in providing proper care to critical patients but they tried to cover up the delays. She had seen 10 to 12 cases where the oxygen masks were not fitted properly or ventilator tubes weren’t connected. On several occasions, she felt that patients were choked to death. She had seen two patients named Jameela and Byhakki struggling for oxygen in spite of being on ventilator support. The senior doctors and duty nurses were alerted about the lapses, but she was told to neglect these incidents. But she is sticking to what she saw. The hospital authorities should take care that such things do not not take place in future.

Dr Ganesh Mohan, RMO of the medical college said that the allegations are baseless and aimed only atruining the image of the hospital. The hospital has been at the forefront in providing COVID treatment. But the state human rights commission had ordered that the healthcare secretary should investigate the alleged lapses in the death of COVID patients.

Jameela’s daughter Hairunnissa also alleged that her mother had complained about poor care at the hospital. They were not allowed at the hospital and could only make calls to the patient and the hospital staff. At one instance, she heard her mother struggling to take a breath. They had even sought hospital permission to shift her mother to another hospital but were discouraged. Byhakki’s family also claimed that he had sent a voice message requesting them to deposit Rs 40,000 at the hospital for better care.

Source: The Indian Express