Date:06/07/2007 URL: http://www.thehindu.com/2007/07/06/stories/2007070662060300.htm

Kerala - Thiruvananthapuram

Protest over child’s death

Staff Reporter

RDO conducts inquest; case registered

Parents, kin stage protest in front of the eye clinic
IMA expresses anguish over child’s death

THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: A boy who underwent an eye surgery at a private hospital in the city died as a result of post-operative complications on Thursday.

The parents and relatives of the child, Sreejith, four, staged a protest in front of the eye clinic at Kesavadasapuram alleging that ‘negligent’ doctors had caused his death.

The Medical College police held an inquest into Sreejith’s death in the presence of the Revenue Divisional Officer(RDO). The body was subjected to an autopsy at the Medical College Hospital.

Sreejith’s relatives suspect that he had died from anaesthesia related post-operative complications. The police said they could not comment on the case till they received the autopsy report. A case of unnatural death has been registered under section 174 of the Criminal Procedure Code. The police said that Sreejith’s father, Johnny of Varkala, has given a statement accusing the eye-clinic of ‘medical negligence.’

According to the police, Sreejith was admitted to the hospital on Tuesday for a cornea related eye ailment. He underwent an eye surgery on Wednesday morning. His condition became critical in the afternoon and the eye-clinic management referred the child to a super specialty hospital at Pattom for better care. The police said Sreejith died at 4 a.m. on Thursday. Varkala Kahar, MLA, spoke to the protestors and promised to take up their case with the Government.

The Indian Medical Association (IMA) has expressed anguish over the death of the child. It deplored the ‘riotous situation caused by certain politicians’ in front of the hospital. The IMA said protests of such nature would demoralise doctors.