Kottayam: A 38-year-old heart patient died in an ambulance after waiting for medical care for about 45 minutes in front of the casualty of the Kottayam Medical College Hospital. The doctor on duty at the casualty refused to treat the patient and there were no doctors in the intensive care unit, the bereaved relatives said.
M Bindu, wife of Suresh from Venmani near Chengannur, was initially taken to a private hospital in Pandalam, where she was put on life support. Suresh, a mason, and other relatives decided to shift her to the Kottayam Medical College as they could not afford the care at the private hospital.
Bindu, who had been also under treatment for diabetes and a tumour, was taken to the medical college in an ambulance with a life support system. Her condition deteriorated a few kilometres away from the medical college. At 1:20 pm, the ambulance reached the medical college hospital.
Suresh and relatives rushed in to the casualty to inform the doctor of the patient’s condition but the doctor on duty refused to have a look at her. She said that the intensive care unit was closed and passed on the phone number of the duty chief, whose phone was apparently switched off.
A nurse accompanying Bindu in the ambulance warned the relatives that the patient was sinking. Though the frantic relatives kept on nudging the doctor on duty to have a look at Bindu, she refused to.
However, three doctors from the casualty turned up after Bindu died in the ambulance, the relatives said. The doctors insisted that a post-mortem had to be conducted on the body as she died before being admitted to the hospital, triggering a protest from the agitated relatives and DYFI activists.
The doctors said that they could not release the body unless the relatives produced a report from the Venmani police station that the deceased had been under medical treatment and there were no cause for complaint about the death.
Bindu’s relatives said that they have filed a complaint with medical college superintendent Dr Tiji Thomas Jacob, who assured them that there will be a probe into the incident. The doctors on duty at the casualty said that they were not prepared to treat Bindu as they were not informed about her arrival in advance.
Bindu is survived by two children, Subi and Sibi. Her cremation will be held at 2 pm on Sunday.