KOCHI: The three-member panel appointed by the Director of Medical Education (DME) to conduct a detailed departmental inquiry into the death of medico Shamna Tasneem at Ernakulam Government Medical College (EMC) is learnt to have submitted its report to the Health Department. However, it has not reached the Health Secretary’s table. The team consists of Alappuzha Government Medical College general medicine professor Dr T.K. Suma, Thiruvananthapuram Government Medical College anesthesiology professor Dr Linet J. Moris and Thrissur Medical College pulomonolgy medicine professor Davis Paul.
Earlier a three-member panel headed by joint DME Dr K. Sreekumari had conducted a preliminary departmental inquiry and reported medical negligence in the case. Ernakulam Government Medical College general medicine head Dr Jilse George and PG student of the college Dr Bino Jose were suspended pending detailed inquiry but they were later taken back to service before the completion of the detailed inquiry. Meanwhile the Crime Branch team investigating the criminal aspect in the mysterious death is learnt to have set up an office on the EMC campus itself to speed up the probe.
The team is learnt to be surprised at the sorry state of affairs at the college. This was revealed when it checked about the availability of adrenaline at the hospital, the delay in giving a shot of which alleged to have led to the death of Shamna. The inspection revealed that stock register existed at the hospital only up to 2013! The team when it tried to take the list of doctors on duty the day when Shamna turned serious, is learnt to have found that there was no full list of doctors on duty or duty register of doctors in casualty and ward. The team is continuing with its investigation.
