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| Sunday, 4 December 2005 |
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Features |  |
| News Business Features Editorial
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Enter National Hospital, come out limbless! "They neither toil nor spin," certainly holds no truth for Caroline Perera, of Wellampitiya whose hands have seen a lifetime of hard work. She, together with her husband worked in the Ports Authority, worked hard for the well-being of their family.
But today at 83 she looks on helplessly, in a hospital bed. It was ironic, she said. "Having come to hospital to cure my swollen leg, but today I have to go home without my arm. The amputation, was said to be due to a 'medical misadventure' or was it really negligence on the part of the nursing staff, the question remains to be answered. The Committee appointed to look into the incident would come up with their report shortly, National Hospital Director Dr. Hector Weerasinghe says, justice would be meted out. Let's hope so. Meanwhile let us listen to what Caroline Perera's daughter, Kusumawathi has to say. Kusumawathi stood by the side of her mother's bed through day and night. When the Sunday Observer visited ward 56 where the unfortunate woman receives treatment Kusumawathi wanted her mother's story to be told, "inform the public and the authorities, so that another would not have to face a similar fate." "Despite her age my mother is very healthy, said Kusumawathi, whose parents live with her. As if a life of hard work had given them strength in their old age, the elderly mother and father still go about their affairs with excellent efficiency for their age. According to daughter Kusumawathi, her mother was initially admitted to get treatment for her filaria infected leg. "That was last Wednesday evening. Around 10.45 the same evening, the nurse on duty injected some medicine to my mother's right hand," she said. A few minutes after the injection Caroline had started to weep in pain. Her daughter out of concern for her mother had rushed to the nursing staff on duty to complain about the development. "It was very bad the way she shouted at me. I pleaded with her to do something at least to lessen the pain. She retorted asking me to enter ward 59 and cure my madness." She said they knew what they were doing, and needed no instructions from me", Kusumawathi said. This had come from a 'professional' who had sworn in the name of God to "do all in my power to maintain and elevate the standard of the nursing profession and to devote myself to the welfare of those who are committed to my care." "Around 12 midnight my mother was still suffering from pain. I again complained. Then one of the nurses gave me a white pill and said it would help to induce sleep to my mother and would end the trouble that I was giving to them," she said. "After taking the tablet she fell asleep. On the following day a lady doctor came on her early morning ward rounds. She was shocked to see my mother's conditions. She asked me why I had not informed anybody of the condition of my mother and said my mother needed immediate surgery, if her life was to be saved". "I want to be fair by the doctors. We won't blame the institution. They really tried hard and did everything possible to save my mother's arm but they failed, it was just the arrogance and negligence of one member who had ruined everything for my mother," she finally added. Caroline Perera together with her husband reared three children, two daughters and a son. At the ripe age of 83 together with her 91 year-old husband Caroline spends a contented life. Even after surgery to amputate her hand she still looked healthy and talked to us in a weak voice. "After giving the children in marriage we saw our grandchildren growing up, life was a pleasure," she said. My only dream is that I would not be a burden to anyone not even to my own daughter. Even at this age I could do all my work myself, but today with my right hand cut off I don't know how to get on," she said. Florence Nightingale, the Lady with the Lamp devoted her life to the welfare of the soldiers wounded in the battlefront in World War I. She was the perfect example of kindness and the epitome of the noble profession. Today every individual takes up her profession swearing solemnly to follow her example. What the Director had to say: "This is very unfortunate. We commenced investigation immediately and we would soon know if this was due to the negligence of the medical staff or otherwise. "There is always a possibility of developing this type of complication, even when intra-muscular injections are administered. I want to emphasise that no wrong injection or wrong medicine was given. This is just a medical mishap. The last case of a similar nature was reported in the early 90s. Since then over millions of injections were administered, but our staff had been careful, I assure that justice will be meted out to whoever party is found guilty. (RS) |
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