Kannur toddler's death: Child rights panel sees hospital negligence after meeting parents

Kannur: The Kerala State Commission for Protection of Child Rights on Tuesday said criminal negligence and lapses on the part of Baby Memorial Hospital may have led to the death of 18-month-old Devansh Shouria. The observation came after the commission met the child's parents, T Suraj and Vijisha, at their home in Mathamangalam, Eramam-Kuttoor, near Payyannur.

The commission's remarks came a day before a government medical board is scheduled to meet on Wednesday to examine the treatment provided to the child, including the decision to administer general anaesthesia for his minor lip injury.

On July 5, Devansh's parents took him to Baby Memorial Hospital, Payyannur, after he suffered a minor cut to his lip while playing in the courtyard of their home. Doctors administered general anaesthesia to stitch the wound, but the toddler never regained consciousness. He was shifted to the hospital's Kannur unit, where he died five days later, on July 10.
Devansh was the couple's only child, born after eight years of marriage.

The boy's death triggered protests by youth organisations affiliated to various political parties. Payyannur police later booked anaesthetist Dr Anjali Poduval under Section 125 of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS), which deals with acts endangering life through negligence and carries a maximum punishment of three months' imprisonment, a fine, or both.

On Tuesday, Kerala State Commission for Protection of Child Rights chairperson K V Manoj Kumar, along with members B Mohan Kumar, Dr F Wilson, Cicily Joseph and K K Shaju, visited the family's home and met the child's parents, Suraj and Vijisha, and other relatives.

"From our interaction with the parents, it appears that a serious offence has occurred and that there was criminal negligence and lapse on the part of the hospital," Manoj Kumar told reporters. He said the commission would hold an online meeting with the investigating officer within the next three days before deciding on further action. "The commission will do everything within its mandate in this case," he said.

Meanwhile, Payyannur DySP Shyju P L, who is heading the investigation, said the police's preliminary findings suggested that the general anaesthesia may not have been necessary for the injury. "We based our findings on the postmortem report that said the wound on the lip was superficial. It was only 1cm, and when we checked, the wound had dried," said the officer. "We felt local anaesthesia would have been sufficient."

However, he said that the police would take a final view only after receiving the opinion of the medical board constituted by District Medical Officer Piyush Namboodiripad. The DMO is the convener of the board; the panel also comprises a paediatrician, an anaesthetist, the police surgeon and a public prosecutor. "The board will hold its first meeting on Wednesday," the DySP said. All the doctors on the panel are from the government service.

The DySP said he had recorded Suraj's statement on Monday and would record Vijisha's statement in the coming days. The family has alleged that an excessive dose of anaesthesia caused irreversible brain damage. The hospital, however, has denied negligence, maintaining that the child suffered an unexpected cardiac arrest immediately after the administration of anaesthesia despite all accepted treatment protocols being followed.

The DySP said that though the FIR has named only Dr Anjali Poduval, the surgeon and the hospital management are also under investigation.