Following the death of a teenage footballer in a Chennai hospital, the Tamil Nadu government suspended two doctors for medical negligence.
R Priya, 17, was a first-year B.Sc Physical Education student.
Her leg had to be amputated after she had surgery in another hospital last week for a ligament tear in her knee. She passed away at 7:15 a.m. due to multiorgan failure.
Priya was admitted to the Periyar Nagar Government Peripheral Hospital on November 7 for an arthroscopy, a minimally invasive surgical procedure, to repair the ligament in her right knee.“Due to carelessness of the doctors who performed the surgery, the compression bandage was too tight which caused extensive damage to blood flow and led to the death of blood vessels and she was in great pain,” said a statement from the health department.
The next day, she was transferred to the Rajiv Gandhi Government General Hospital (RGGGH), where doctors informed her that her leg would have to be amputated on November 9 to save her life.
While in the ICU, she was being treated by senior physicians. “She was suffering from damage to her kidney, liver and heart because of her blood flow being affected,” the health department said.
“An inquiry has found negligence on the doctors who performed the surgery.”
The state government transferred two surgeons from the Periyar Nagar Government Periphery Hospital on Monday: Dr. A Paul Ram Sankar, assistant professor of orthopaedics, and Dr. K Somasundar, casualty medical officer.
Following her death, the government orders the two surgeons to be suspended. The autopsy was completed on Tuesday.
“Based on the preliminary post mortem report, the police will initiate criminal proceedings,” said Dr Therani Raja, dean, Madras Medical College and RGGGH.
The hospital was heavily policed as Priya’s family protested, demanding immediate action.
Priya, according to family members, was preoccupied with studies and football practise.
“My child is only 17 years old. We trusted a government hospital and she is dead today,” said Priya’s mother.
“The doctors said it was a small operation on her right knee ligament. My daughter suffered in pain after the surgery. Every time she cried, they gave her an injection and she’d sleep. The doctors have to be arrested.”
Health minister M Subramanian told reporters that the treatment given to Priya was correct.
“But there has been medical negligence,” the minister said.
“When I came here the day before, she was fine. We had also informed the hospital (RGGGH) that we will arrange a robotic artificial limb from Bengaluru when she recovers. The child’s death has pained all of us.” Tamil Nadu government has offered ₹10 lakh as compensation and a government job for one of her three brothers.
Priya’s father had already requested the minister for a government job for his daughter while she was in the hospital.
“They are already in poverty so her father had requested a government job which we will give to one of her brothers”, he added.