Man with chest pain asked to wait in queue, dies at Neyyatinkara Gen hospital; Minister orders probe

Amid a series of allegations of medical negligence involving government hospitals in Kerala, the Government General Hospital at Neyyatinkara has come under fresh scrutiny following the death of a 53-year-old man during treatment on Thursday evening.

The deceased, Rajesh Kumar, a resident of Maruthathoor near Neyyattinkara Railway Station, was brought to the hospital after developing severe chest pain. His family and local representatives have alleged that he was denied timely medical attention as security personnel prevented him from immediately consulting a doctor, asking him instead to wait in the outpatient queue.

Following the incident, Health and Devaswom Minister K Muraleedharan ordered the District Medical Officer (DMO) to conduct an immediate inquiry and submit a report. He directed the DMO to determine whether any lapse occurred. The minister said strict action would be taken against those found responsible for negligence, with further steps to be decided based on the inquiry findings.

According to Neyyattinkara municipal councillor Supriya Mahesh, Rajesh, who worked at a wholesale shop in Neyyattinkara, developed severe chest pain at around 6.30 pm on Thursday. He was rushed to the hospital by a local autorickshaw driver. "Despite informing the security staff that it was a medical emergency, they were asked to collect an OP ticket and wait for their turn because of the heavy rush," Supriya alleged.

She claimed that Rajesh repeatedly told the security staff that he could not bear the pain and urgently needed medical attention. "However, he was allegedly made to wait for more than half an hour before he could see a doctor. The doctor advised an ECG and prescribed medication. While waiting inside the casualty for the ECG, Rajesh collapsed and died. At the time, another patient's ECG was being conducted," she said.

Supriya further alleged that Rajesh had no known serious health issues and could have survived had he received timely treatment.

She also accused some security personnel at the hospital of routinely preventing critically ill patients from receiving immediate medical attention. "I have personally witnessed patients in serious condition being asked to remain in queues. Once, while I was at the hospital with my daughter, I saw a young man who was visibly exhausted due to a high fever waiting in line. I took him directly to the doctor's room, but the security staff objected, saying other patients would protest. No one objected because everyone could understand his condition," she said.

Recalling another incident, she alleged that she and her husband had brought an accident victim to the hospital, but immediate admission to the casualty ward was delayed due to the conduct of security staff.

At the same time, Supriya acknowledged that the hospital was facing severe staff shortage. "Only one or two doctors are available at a time, and they struggle to manage the heavy patient load. The shortage of doctors is a serious issue, but that does not justify delaying emergency care," she added.

Former Neyyattinkara municipal councillor N Maheshan Nair also criticised the functioning of the security staff, alleging that many of them were contract employees who lacked adequate training to handle emergency situations. "I am not saying everyone behaves this way, but there have been repeated complaints against a few security personnel," he said.

Maheshan Nair said complaints had been submitted to the police, the Health Minister and local body authorities. According to him, police officers who examined the hospital's CCTV footage found that Rajesh had indeed been waiting for a considerable period before receiving medical attention.

He also claimed that the hospital superintendent had informed them that the security personnel facing the allegations had been removed from duty. On Friday, local residents and public representatives staged a protest in front of the hospital, demanding action against those responsible.

Meanwhile, Neyyattinkara police have registered a case under Section 194 (unnatural death) of the Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha Sanhita (BNSS) and launched an investigation. "The inquest proceedings are underway. After the postmortem at the Government Medical College Hospital, Thiruvananthapuram, the body will be handed over to the family," a police officer said.

Rajesh is survived by his wife, Sheeba, and son, Nikhil, who recently left for the UAE after securing a job. He has been informed of his father's death and is expected to arrive in Kerala on Friday night. The funeral is scheduled to be held on Saturday.

The hospital authorities did not respond to request for comment.