Tamil Nadu - Chennai

Four IMH patients die of “sudden cardio-respiratory failure”

CHENNAI: Four female patients at the Institute of Mental Health, Kilpauk, died “inexplicably” of “sudden cardio-respiratory failure” within a period of two hours early Friday morning. Thirty others, who suffered symptoms of acute gastroenteritis, were admitted to the Communicable Diseases Hospital, Tondiarpet.

Rajammal, 58, who had been at the IMH since 1992 for treatment of chronic schizophrenia, possibly had a sudden cardiac arrest or respiratory failure that precipitated death at 3.25 a.m. She was a diabetic and had a history of hyper tension. Just less than an hour later, at 4.20 a.m., K. Roselyn, 43, died. Muthuselvi, 48, who was admitted only this year, died at 4.45 a.m. and the youngest victim, Megingi, 35, died at 5.25 a.m. Hospital Director R. Satianathan said all the affected patients belonged to ward 16. Attempts to revive them by the night medical staff failed. The reason for the four deaths remains a mystery and the bodies have been sent to the Government General Hospital for post mortem. “The post mortem will make it clear what the real cause of death is,” he added.

From the same ward, about 25 patients took ill with symptoms of diarrhoea and vomiting last night and were shifted to CDH. Another five patients were later admitted on Friday morning with acute gastroenteritis. Their stool and urine samples were being sent for culture to establish the cause of the infection.

Dr. Satianathan said it was likely that a few women drank water from a stormwater drain running close to the ward. Since the women use common toilets and are in close proximity to each other, it is likely that the infection was passed on to the others. At night, after the first 25 women fell ill, the others in the 130-member ward were shifted out. “Despite that, five others took ill with the same symptoms in the morning,” he said.

At the CDH, the women were receiving intravenous fluids and some of them were strapped down to the bedposts in order to keep them still as the IV was running. Postgraduates from the IMH were also in attendance to help out the doctors.

Mayor M. Subramaniam and other health officials from the Corporation visited them in the afternoon. CDH authorities said the condition of the women had stabilised and they would be discharged gradually over the next few days.

Corporation officials who visited IMH have issued notices to show the cause of death and to improve the hygiene and sanitation at the hospital. They also distributed tablets among other patients from the affected ward to prevent the onset of any water-borne disease.

Health Secretary V.K. Subburaj who inspected the hospital said, “We will make use of this opportunity to augment facilities at the IMH.” As a first step, two new buildings in the premises will be completed immediately and patients will be shifted there.

Mental health activists in the State said the time to overhaul the facilities at the IMH had come. Vandana Gopakumar of The Banyan, an organisation that had sent its volunteers to help out at the IMH until recently, called for re-orienting the hospital as a complete care facility for patients with mental illness.

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