Bantwal: No negligence in pregnant woman's case - Dr Somayaji
Mounesh Vishwakarma
Pics: Kishore Peraje
Daijiworld Media Network - Bantwal
Bantwal, Feb 9: Two days after a pregnant woman and her unborn baby died at Somayaji hospital here, the administrator of the hospital Dr B Rameshanand Somayaji clarified that there was no negligence on the part of the doctors or staff of the hospital.
Chanchalakshi, wife of Naveen Kumar M, a resident of government employees' colony at BC Road, was admitted at Somayaji hospital to deliver her second child on Thursday February 6 morning. However, later that evening she developed complications and died, and the baby too died in the womb. Following the incident, the locals rose in protest against the hospital and as a preventive measure to pacify the mob, the police took Dr Rameshanand for questioning.
Addressing a press meet here on Saturday February 8, Dr Rameshanand said that as per the instructions of Chanchalakshi's obstetrician Dr Bharati Shetty, Chanchalakshi got admitted to the hospital on Thursday morning. She was healthy till around 6.45 pm, but all of a sudden she started vomiting and shivering and her blood pressure dropped, he said.
"Dr Bharati Shetty and anaesthesiologist Dr Shashikala Somayaji immediately rushed to the hospital and examined her. Meanwhile, Chanchalakshi developed difficulty in breathing too. The doctors then decided to rush her to a private hospital in Mangalore for advanced treatment, and though she was taken in an ambulance under the supervision of doctors, Chanchalakshi could not be saved," he said.
"The patient was given only Pitocin drips, and neither Dr Bharati Shetty nor any nurse administer any injection," he clarified.
"It is natural for Chanchalakshi's family to feel the pain of her loss. However, even if it was felt that negligence of doctors had led to the patient's death, there is a proper forum to address the issue. Instead of approaching the forum, was it right to protest and gherao the hospital and even pelt stones?" he questioned.
"When there are so many examples of doctors saving lives of patients on humanitarian grounds, projecting this case as a crime, branding doctors as 'criminals' and staging such protest against them is not right. Further steps on the case will be taken after holding discussions of IMA officials," he said.
"There is no question of compensating the bereaved family. As a case has been registered in the police station, it will be dealt with through legal means only," he said in reply to a query.
IMA taluk unit president Dr Sureshchandra Shetty, Dr Bharati Shetty, Dr Satyashankar Shetty and others were present. When reporters asked more questions about the case, the doctors evades them and the press meet came to an abrupt end.
Protest likely
The locals who are miffed with the police for releasing Dr Rameshanand Somayaji a few hours after taking him into questioning on Friday evening, are planning to protest again. The protestors had gathered at Somayaji hospital demanding action against the doctors, and to quell the protest, the police had taken Dr Somayaji for questioning. But soon after the protestors left the spot, the police dropped the doctor back at the hospital.
Meanwhile, the Bantwal circle inspector Rajshekar Mestry said that it was not possible to arrest Dr Somayaji and even the Supreme Court has issued orders in this regard. "Even then, under pressure from the protestors, we took Dr Somayaji for questioning. We too are pained by the death of the pregnant woman, but it is not right for people to take law into their hands," he said.