Medical negligence, order of the day!

Pulse of the People by Ananda Kannangara

The Sunday Observer last week sought the views of a cross section of the general public on the medical negligence and how it affects them...

H. M. Herath Menike of Polgasowita related a pathetic story about her cousin sister's child Udeshika who was admitted to the Galagedara Periphery hospital but was later transferred to the Kandy General Hospital, due to lack of facilities.

"She was administered with antibiotics through a canula.

Little while later, I noticed a swelling in the hand. The following morning, her finger nails turned bluish, when the doctor removed the canula and ordered that she be transferred to the Lady Ridgeway Hospital, Colombo, and then again to the National hospital. There her hands had turned black and benumbed, when the doctor decided to amputate her hand.

"Her hand had to be amputated due to medical negligence," she said.

Edward de Silva of Kandy criticised the attitude of some doctors after his child was admitted to the Kandy hospital for a treatment for cough and respiratory difficulty.

"A nurse had injected the antibiotic into a vein instead of the artery. I feel she had done by mistake. Later the child died and the cause of death was not determined."

"When asked the doctor had to put it down to one of those rare occurrences," he said.

Kumari Pushpalatha said, "I think most doctors engage in private practice with a sole intention of making more and quick money without paying due care to patients in Govt. Hospitals, which could also be termed as medical negligence,"

Roshan Gunawardene related a story of a friend who took his child Prasangani to a private clinic with a complaint of high fever. But the lady doctor was out and her husband who was not a medical man injected the child with a wrong injection.

The child was later admitted to the Matale Government Hospital and the patient's condition turned critical.

Here too, the doctors did not take proper care and the child died later.

Nirosha Pushpakumari of Mawathagama related a story where she had filed a case in the District Court of Colombo seeking the cause of the death of her husband, which was alleged to be negligence or carelessness of the part of a doctor who had treated him earlier.

Her husband was admitted to the Accident Service, but the doctor on duty was not there thus resulting in his death.

A 41- year old widow Nishadini Lucus of Bambalapitiya sued a private hospital at Kollupitiya for a sum of Rs. five million, alleging that her husband died due to negligence of the hospital staff.

She said her husband underwent surgery, but his condition had worsened and to rectify, several other surgeries followed without the knowledge of her or the family members. "My husband died due to medical negligence in that private hospital," she alleged.

A school teacher Gamini Samarakkodi said his four-year-old son was admitted to Moragahahena Government Hospital as he was suffering from dehydration.

"The hospital staff did not pay much attention and gave only Panadols for nearly six hours and after two days the child had died." In this case JMO Gunaratne who held the postmortem returned an open verdict, ruling that the cause of death may have been due to negligence on the part of the doctors and cautioned the doctors to take more care.

Gnana Tambawita related a story of 31-year old Deepika Jayasuriya who had died at a maternity hospital, Panadura, after giving birth to a baby daughter.

She said the doctor took more than three and half hours to arrive at the hospital. Although he was informed of the case at 3.00 p.m., he arrived at 6.45 pm. after attending to his 'other' duties.

She pointed out that in the absence of the doctor, the para-medical staff had used the forceps to deliver the baby. The mother went into post-partum haemorrhage causing her death.

Caroline Perera of Kaduwela said her niece Kanchana was taken to a Government hospital to seek treatment for her swollen leg, but returned home without one arm!

"We admitted her for filariasis with a history of infected leg, but treatment was given for some other ailment."

"I am quite certain that the wrongful amputation was due to negligence on the part of the nursing staff. I do remember the health authorities appointed a committee to look into this particular misadventure but it did not function properly" she said.

A 21- year old student Gayathri Heenkumbura of Ratnapura commented that doctors are only interested in making money by doing private practices rather than paying much attention to poor patients.

A retired public servant Newton Jayamanna said, "Wife of Prabath Manawasinghe gave evidence before a District Judge that her husband had died due to the negligence. She also claimed Rs. 40 million as damages from a reputed private hospital in the city.

He added that in another case in Moratuwa, one Mr. Gunaratne claimed R. 50 million for his child's death, and the death was due to the negligence of the doctor and the nursing staff at the hospital, in the city.

Geoff Ludowike of Wellawatta said medical negligence seems to be the order of the day in Sri Lanka, common citing case at dental unit of a Government hospital in Panadura where one of his friends, lost a good tooth instead of the rotten one!

A banker Amaresh Sivadasan of Puttalam told a story of another case reported from Puttalam Base Hospital where an infant boy died apparently due to negligence during the time of child birth.

An attempt had been made to 'pull' the baby out with a piece of cloth, it was alleged.

A receptionist Nayomi de Silva, attached to a foreign mission in Colombo said", Healthcare and Nutrition Ministry had planned to set up a special board of inquiry to look into medical negligence in hospitals. The Ministry also wants to introduce an insurance scheme where the victims or the next of kin could claim compensation, in the event of a case of medical negligence.

"But it is pathetic to see that it did not work out at all."

Businessman Kevin Kapuruge said "Nilmini who underwent fertility surgery died later, where her small intestines could have been tampered during the surgery .

Ranmali of Kottawa related an incident, not so long ago, at the De Soyza Maternity Hospital, Borella where a nurse allegedly nipped off the fingertip of a child while in the process of removing a plaster in the little finger.

A father of two, Ruparatne of Ratnapura related, "My child went into a fit and was admitted to the Nagoda hospital and later on admitted to the Colombo National Hospital.

"None of the nurses nor the attendants in the ward paid any heed to the doctor's instructions, whereas they took their own time to mobilise an ambulance after a two hour wait. The child was after an agonising journey, died later at the National Hospital.

A mother of three children, Irine Padmalatha of Peradeniya told the case of her husband who was taken to Watupitiwela Government Hospital following a motor car accident. The ward nurses kept him for nearly eighteen hours without any treatment, for the surgeon to arrive.

"The following day the surgeon examined the patient and came to a conclusion that there were no injuries. However, after another round of examinations the doctor opted for surgery after realising that there could be internal bleeding.

It too was a failure and was subsequently transferred to the Colombo National Hospital, but due to his deteriorating condition, he died later." Padmalatha pointed the accusing finger at the surgical staff of the Watupitiwela Government hospital, for his death.

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