MBBS student of Ernakulam Government Medical College dies after injection

Kochi: Shamna Tasnim, 21, second-year MBBS student of Ernakulam Government Medical College (EMC), died on Monday night after she was given an injection at the medical college. She was admitted to the medical college on Monday noon with fever and she turned critical after administering the antibiotic injection.

Shamna Tasnim, daughter of Abootty of Aysha Manzil, Sivapuram, Mattannur in Kannur, fainted after the Ceftriaxone injection was administered and her condition worsened with frothing from her mouth. Sources at the medical college said that she was given a test doze and she did not develop any problems then. They said that patients can develop complications when the same medicine is given in a higher dose.

Tasnim was shifted from the ICU of EMC by evening to Rajagiri Hospital at Aluva after her kith and kin insisted. Doctors at EMC, which still does not have a fulltime cardiologist, made all efforts to save her life, including administering cardiopulmonary resuscitation at the ICU.

Meanwhile, it was alleged that there was a delay of 20 minutes in taking the girl student to the ICU after she fainted. “There were no staff members to take her to the ICU and after sometime the students themselves took the stretchers from another floor and brought her to the ICU. But critical time was lost by this,” said sources.

Hospital Superintendent Dr. P.Anilkumar told DC that she was admitted in a critical condition and was removed to Rajagiri Hospital. There are also allegations that the girl died at EMC itself by evening and the removal to the private hospital was a ploy by the college authorities to escape blame.