KOCHI: The report of the three- member committee headed by joint director of medical education (JDME) Dr K. Sreekumari is severe in its indictment of the lapses on the part of those at Ernakulam Government Medical College which forced the state government to suspend a doctor and a PG student over Shamna’s death. The final conclusion is the most damning one. “A casual indifferent dealing if not callousness was very palpable at every stage in the care and treatment given to Ms Shamna Thasneem,” the report said.
The eighth conclusion says: “The patient was not ventilated even during the critical stages and no valid reason is put forth in this regard.” The seventh conclusion says: “No effort is seen made by the sister in charge to keep everything ready to meet any untoward emergency/complications arising out of an anaphyliactic reaction to a drug. No clinical protocol was observed. At the same time she claimed to have all the emergency treatment kit at hand. This was strongly denied by other doctors.”
It also says PG doctor Dr Bino did not make an attempt to see the patient. The patient was not examined medically after admission and before development of complications. It says Dr Jilse also did not care to inform the faculty on duty about the admission of student with bronchial asthma. The report also states that “there was want of reasonable degree of skill and care in the management of Ms Shamna Thasneem.” It also states that the clinical scenario and postmortem findings are consistent in saying that the death was due to severe anaphylactic reaction to IV ceftriaxone.
Father seeks probe by woman IPS officer
K.A. Abootty, father of medico Shamna Tasnim who died at Ernakulam Government Medical College (EMC) on July 18, on Thursday demanded investigation by a woman IPS officer into her death. Addressing a press conference here, Mr Abootty said that he had already petitioned the Home Secretary in this regard. He said that action against those responsible for Shamna’s death has been limited to the suspension of EMC medicine department head Dr Jilse George and a PG doctor.
He alleged that the current investigation into the case by the Thrikkakara assistant commissioner is moving in the direction of saving rest of the culprits. He also said that there is contradiction in the depositions by the PG doctor and Dr Krishna Mohan who attended to Shamna and also the documents. He said the forensic professor had suspected that case sheet was tampered with. He alleged that Shamna was removed to a private hospital in the evening of July 18 by concealing the fact that she was already dead.
“Dr Krishna Mohan attends to Shamna at 3.30 after she was administered Ceftriaxone injection at 3 pm. There are no records pertaining to what happened between 3.00 pm and 3.30 pm,” he said adding the questions raised by forensic expert on the medical board overturned the attempts by others to sabotage the case. “Treatment given without properly ascertaining the disease resulted in Shamna’s death and I will continue my fight to get justice and to ensure that no father meets such a fate again,” he said with tears in eyes.
