Another young life snuffed out by dengue

by Thulasi MUTTULINGAM

Dr. Nadeeka Lakmali Wijenayake

The number of dengue cases and deaths due to the disease has been increasing steadily in Sri Lanka over the past few months. The long hands of death have not shown any impartiality towards people from different walks or stages of life. Innocent young children yet to bloom in life, elderly people who have seen and been through much, robust adults, qualified professionals... they have all contributed towards the 149-figure death toll Sri Lanka has racked up so far.

Last week, however, one particular dengue death shook the nation. The victim this time was a doctor; a doctor who was treating dengue patients at her hospital ward. She ultimately became a victim to the same disease that she was treating.

The question arises in the minds of the average person was 'Why?'

How could a senior doctor in a hospital, which had all means of treating dengue at its disposal succumb to the disease, when ideally, she ought to have had the best of care?

This is the question that Dr. Nadeeka Lakmali Wijenayake's family too is asking. On a complaint made by her father, D.H. Wijenayake, President Mahinda Rajapaksa appointed a special committee to look into her death. They are apparently in Badulla right now, going through aspects of her treatment to determine what really had gone wrong.

Dr. Wijenayake with her colleagues

Dr. Wijenayake was said to be a highly dedicated and committed doctor with a zeal for caring for her patients, placing them over and above her own comfort. That is the one prominent facet of her character as consistently relayed by those who knew her, from the director of her hospital and fellow doctors, to her own family.

According to a colleague who asked not to be named, Dr. Wijenayake worked tirelessly over her young charges, neglecting herself in the process, which might have contributed to the tragedy. She was the Senior House Officer at the Badulla Provincial Hospital and was in charge of Ward 23 for children.

Her 32nd birthday fell on July 5. On July 4, she called her mother to tell her she would not be coming to celebrate her birthday with the family in Tangalle, as she had a lot of young children in her ward with dengue whom she wanted to stay back and care for. She had not even taken the weekend off.

Birthday celebration

According to her elder sister, she had already bought a new sari to wear on her birthday and had been looking forward to celebrating it with the family. However, it was not to be! Ultimately, the family did see her on her birthday, but it was not the joyous reunion that had been pleasurably anticipated.

Receiving a badge of merit from the then Minister of Labour, Mahinda Rajapaksa.

A breeding ground for dengue

On the same night she called her mother, July 4, Dr. Wijenayake was taken ill. She first rested in her own quarters, but then admitted herself to the hospital ward as she became more ill. According to a fellow doctor, her condition steadily deteriorated from then and she was transferred to the Intensive Care Unit, where she was put on a ventilator. However, all this was of no avail and she finally succumbed to the disease on Sunday, July 11 around 2.45pm.

Her family meanwhile is extremely shaken up and angry. Dr. Wijenayake was the second of three children in the family.

According to her elder sister, her family had rushed to Badulla as soon as they heard that she was ill. She had been admitted to Ward 2 of the hospital where she was in much distress and discomfort. "She had nausea, a headache and various other ailments, but the other doctors had not taken much notice of it."

The family had complained on her behalf to the House Officer and the other doctors in the ward, but none of them had paid much attention. Apparently, even her blood tests had to be done by the family elsewhere as the hospital had no facilities to conduct the tests.

Extremely angry over what they consider her "unnecessary death" due to the negligence of her fellow workers, the family complained to the President who has promised to look into the matter.

According to the Director of the Badulla Hospital, Dr. A.L.M Nazeer, they did all they could for a dear and valued colleague, but it was beyond their means to save her as she developed a rare heart complication.

"She was a dedicated doctor who worked very hard. She did not take leave even for her birthday or for the weekends. When she fell ill, we admitted her to the ward and then to the ICU when her condition seemed serious. Unfortunately, she developed a very rare condition which affects the heart and we could not save her despite our best efforts."

He refuted the allegation that the hospital could not do Dr. Wijenayake's blood tests for dengue. "We have 77 patients in our hospital as of today (Friday), 32 of whom have been confirmed as having dengue.

The other 45 are suspected cases and we have the means to find out for sure soon. We deal with this type of situation every day.

Seemed negligent

"The family thinks we neglected her because we were treating her differently from the way she was treating her young patients.

Dr. Nadeeka Lakmali Wijenayake’s parents

From their point of view, it might have seemed negligent, but it was not. Adults are treated differently compared to children.

Different people, susceptible in different ways, should be treated differently and we did all that we could."

Meanwhile, the committee of doctors appointed by the President to look into the matter are still in Badulla (at the time of writing). They would release the report soon.

Dr. Wijenayake was a bright and lovable daughter, according to her parents. She was well-loved wherever she went and had always wanted to be a doctor. She was a prefect in her school and on Prefect's Day 1996, had won a badge of merit from the then Minister of Labour, Mahinda Rajapaksa.

She sat her A'Level examination at the Weeraketiya Rajapaksa Maha Vidyalaya and did well to enter the Ruhuna Medical Faculty.

On passing out, she was appointed to the Kalubowila (Teaching) Hospital and then in 2008, transferred to the Badulla Provincial Hospital.