News
Deaths due to medical negligence being probed
View(s):Family members in two separate cases have urged authorities to probe deaths that reportedly occurred due to medical negligence. In one case, 46-year-old Ganga Hewage Kanthi from Dharmapala Mawatha in Galle, a mother of three and a teacher at Akmeemana Maha Vidyalaya, was admitted to the Karapitiya Teaching Hospital on September 29. She was healthy other than for a wound on her knee.
“Five years ago we had to treat her for knotted veins on her left leg. Later there was a wound discharging pus which did not heal well on the same leg. When we went the Karapitiya Teaching Hospital the doctors there instructed us to admit her to the hospital for surgery,” her husband 37-year-old Jagath Gamini Siriyardena, a Sub-Inspector attached to the Baddegama Police, said during the post mortem inquiry on Wednesday (7).
He explained that upon admission his wife was given an injection but she developed an allergic reaction to it and fell very sick. She had recovered after awhile. “But later she was transferred to another ward and given the same jab. Her health condition got very complicated afterwards,” he said.
Ms. Kanthi was rushed to the ICU of the hospital where she died due to health complications on the night of October 4th. At the inquiry her husband demanded an investigation into her death. The Additional JMO of the hospital said the medical reports of the deceased were sent to the Government Analyst. The Inquirer into Sudden Death B. G. N. Karunathilake gave an open verdict and said the reasons for the death would be revealed by the end of next week.
In a separate incident 42-year-old Athuruwathi Kalyani Ramyalatha, a mother of two from Dobagahawatte, Homagama died at the New Military Hospital in Narahenpita on Tuesday (6th) when a germ entered her stomach cavity following surgery to her abdomen area.
Her husband an army soldier of the Diyathalawa Camp, 37-yearold Priyantha Rathnayake said when one of their children developed a condition where he lost blood they decided to perform birth control surgery, Ligation and Resection of Tubes (LRT) on her.
“The surgery was performed on September 9th this year at the New Military Hospital in Narahenpita. Shortly afterwards she fell sick and later recovered slightly. But on September 14 her condition turned worse,” Mr. Rathnayake said at the inquest held by Colombo Additional City Coroner Iresha Dilshani Samaraweera. He added that his wife was transferred to the ICU of the hospital where she was treated but subsequently died on October 6th.
Mr. Rathnayake said he could not accept the reason given to him by the hospital for the death and claimed that he has doubts regarding this. Colombo J.M.O Uthpala Attigala who conducted the post mortem concluded the death was due to a germ entering the woman’s abdomen.
The Additional City Coroner Ms. Samaraweera asked for samples from the body to be sent to the Government Analysts and ordered medical records including follow-up notes and medical reports to be produced in courts before the 15th of this month. She has also summoned the Director of the New Military Hospital in Narahenpita.