The Hindu : Reasonable doubts over treatment protocol: DMK chief

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Tuesday, Jun 17, 2003

National

National

Reasonable doubts over treatment protocol: DMK chief

By Our Special Correspondent

CHENNAI June 16. The DMK president, M. Karunanidhi, today wrote to the Prime Minister, Atal Behari Vajpayee, contending that there were ``reasonable doubts'' over the treatment protocol adopted for the Union Minister, Murasoli Maran, at the All-India Institute of Medical Sciences, New Delhi, and at the Apollo Hospital, Chennai. These needed to be enquired into to set at rest the doubts in the minds of people, he said.

Mr. Maran continues to be in a serious condition at a hospital in the United States now, where he was admitted to last November. He had undergone a valve replacement surgery at the AIIMS, New Delhi, in July 2002. A fungal growth in the replaced valve — which manifested in the form of high fever and chest pain while at the AIIMS — led to his being hospitalised again, this time at the Apollo, on September 23. The hospital carried out an emergency high-risk replacement of the mitral valve on September 25, in a marathon operation.

In a letter to the Prime Minister, a copy of which was released to the press, Mr. Karunanidhi said that he was ``fully aware of the facilities available, standards being maintained in both these institutions and the level of care extended to Mr. Maran by the doctors of these institutions.'' But this did not mean that his inferences were ``baseless and vague.''

He said that he had heard that there were ``some lacunae in the course of treatment after surgery'' which could have been averted. He was informed that Mr. Maran had high temperature when he was discharged from the AIIMS. The temperature did not come down. ``This abnormal temperature should have been taken into medical consideration in time.''

``Similarly, it has been revealed by the doctors who are giving treatment now to Mr. Maran that the second operation to replace the valve held at the Apollo Hospital, Chennai, ended with leakage and thereby he was constrained to have a third surgery to replace the valve. One cannot ignore that such three consecutive surgeries in the heart would spoil the health condition of any patient and Mr. Maran is not an exception.''

Mr. Karunanidhi said the manner in which Mr. Maran was paralysed medically needed to be explained ``qualitatively and quantitatively.''

Asked about the action the Union Health Ministry proposed to initiate based on the letter, the Union Minister of State for Health and a DMK district secretary, A. Raja, said he would have to discuss this with the senior Minister (the Union Health Minister, Sushma Swaraj). The letter would be considered and he expected the Prime Minister to forward the letter to his Ministry, after which suitable action would be taken.

Printer friendly page
Send this article to Friends by E-Mail

National