KOCHI: The two-member panel that probed the death of 25-year-old Jerin Michael at Ernakulam Government Medical College on Saturday is understood to have submitted its report to the Director of Medical Education (DME) but any action by the DME can wait up to two weeks. “They said they have sent the report by email and I will see it tomorrow. However, I have to see the post-mortem report and also the histopathological report so as to arrive at the right conclusion,” DME Dr Remla Beevi told DC on Tuesday. The histopathological report is expected only in two weeks, according to a doctor at the Alappuzha Government TD Medical College.
The doctor said that the post-mortem report has come to a provisional conclusion that the death happened primarily due to appendicitis. “But concluding appendicitis as the only reason for the death would be naïve. In this case, appendicitis has not broken, but due to acute infection it had almost arrived at the stage of septicemia which could lead to death. Only after the result of histopathological analysis comes the whole picture will become clear,” the doctor said.
Another doctor working in Ernakulam said that appendicitis could be identified by a surgeon by the deft touch of his hand on the patient’s body. “Ultra sound scanning is done to rule out other possibilities and Jerin went outside to do that and spent most of his time for it. It is learnt that the surgeon saw the patient only after he arrived in the ICU in a very critical condition. This points to the sorry state of affairs at the medical college.” Jeno James, a friend of Jerin told DC that the patients at the ward where he was admitted told him and other friends that his condition worsened after the administering of an injection. As in the case of medico Shamna, there was no problem when test dose was given, but repeated fits seized him after the full dose was administered.
Then the other episodes in the Shamna case repeated. There was no stretcher, lift was not working and no emergency service to take care of him at the ward. In a very critical condition he was carried in arms to the ICU where he succumbed. “We are not going to end our agitation till the licence of the accused surgeon is revoked,” he said after a road blockade of students demanding justice to Jerin at Kacherippady. The funeral of Jerin was held at Christu Vikas Convent Church at Edathala on Tuesday afternoon. Former Chief Minister Oommen Chandy paid a visit to the house of Jerin at Thevakkal and demanded action against the culprits in the case and compensation to the kin.
