Kottayam: A 72-year-old man died in the ambulance here after being denied treatment at the government medical college hospital and two private hospitals, citing non-availability of ventilator. The police have filed cases of culpable homicide not amounting to murder against all three hospitals.

Idukki native Jacob Thomas (Chackochan), suffering from pneumonia, died lying in the ambulance parked in front of the Kottayam Medical College Hospital.

St John's Hospital at Kattappana in neighbouring Idukki district referred Thomas to the government hospital for expert treatment on Wednesday. His daughter Reni and other relatives took him to the government hospital by 2.30 pm. However, as the ventilator facility was not available, he was taken to Caritas Hospital and Matha Hospital, both at Thellakom in Kottayam. But there were no ventilators available at both these hospitals as well. By the time, the elderly man was taken back to the medical college hospital, his condition had worsened. Joshy, the male nurse accompanying Thomas, gave Cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) to keep his hopes alive. However, Thomas died in the ambulance by 4 pm on Thursday.

The post-mortem report said heart attack was the cause of the death.

His daughter alleged that despite Thomas’ serious condition, none of the medical college hospital doctors turned up to check him.

Irate relatives and local people got into an altercation with the hospital staff. A case has also been filed against Reni for allegedly manhandling the PRO.

The body was taken to Kattapana with police escort.

The funeral of Jacob Thomas would be held at Kozhimala St Joseph Church on Friday morning.

He is survived by wife Moly Chacko and children Reni, Rani, Robina and Roshina.

Opposition leader Ramesh Chennithala said he has written to Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan and Health Minister KK Shylaja, seeking action against the wrong-doers. Congress, BJP, and AIYF workers held protest marches in Kottayam over the incident. Health Minister KK Shylaja has called for a probe into the incident.

Kerala Congress (M) working chairman P J Joseph, MLA, also called for a probe. Dean Kuriakose, the MP-elect from Idukki, sought to file a case of manslaughter against the culprits.

Shocking apathy

Jacob Thomas' daughter Reni, who is also a nurse, alleged that the medical college hospital doctors were indifferent to their plight.

"For two-and-half hours, we rushed from one hospital to another, but all three hospitals ignored my Papa. They did not hear our desperate pleas of help. If the doctors had come up to the ambulance and told what should be done, I as a nurse would have carried that out.

"The officers at the emergency wing of the medical college behaved irresponsibly. The medical college PRO said, ‘It is not possible to treat here. You should have called in advance,’” she recounted.

Reni also said the superintendent's allegations that they did not mmete the duty doctor were wrong. “We did see the doctor but he was not ready to examine my father. That’s when we took him to other hospitals. Then we returned to the medical college hospital and spoke with the PRO.

“Though we said father had chest pain and it could be a heart attack, the doctors refused to treat him. That's when the male nurse in the ambulance came and said that papa was no more,” Reni said.

Medical college denies allegations

Medical college superintendent Dr T K Jayakumar claimed that there was no error from the part of the medical college doctors. “The PRO's inexperience and confusion led to the problems,” the superintendent said in his report to the director of medical education.

“The relatives did not inform the doctors that the patient was lying in the ambulance. Also, the hospital authorities in Kattapana did not first check whether the ventilator facility was available at the medical college before referring him,” it was said.

Caritas' version

Doctors at the Caritas hospital, Kottayam, said that the relatives were informed about the lack of beds at the ICU and that's when they left the hospital.

“Despite the heavy rush at the hospital, doctors went to the ambulance to check on the patient,” they said.

Yuva Morcha workers broke the window panes at the hospital. The Kerala unit of the Catholic Health Association of India (CHAI) condemned the attack.

Authorities of the Matha Hospital, Kottayam, said that Thomas’ relatives were informed that the hospital did not have Intensive Cardiac Care Unit (ICCU) and ventilator facility.

'Impartial probe needed'

The St John’s Hospital in Kattapana said the allegations raised by the Kottayam medical college hospital superintendent were baseless. “The incident has been probed by medical college authorities itself. To bring out the truth, a third party of experts should probe the incident,” the hospital authorities said.