Kannur: A Medical Board has concluded that serious medical negligence by doctors led to the death of an 18-month-old child at Payyannur Baby Memorial Hospital in Kannur district.
According to the board’s findings, the child, who was brought to the hospital for treatment in the morning, was administered anaesthesia only in the evening, by which time the wound had already dried and no longer required the procedure. The board also found that the hospital was functioning without adequate facilities and that the doctors had shown criminal negligence in handling the case.
The child reportedly lost consciousness immediately after being given anaesthesia at Payyannur Baby Memorial Hospital. Realising the seriousness of the situation, hospital authorities shifted the child to Baby Memorial Hospital, Kannur, at around 6 p.m., but the child’s life could not be saved.
The post-mortem report stated that the child did not require anaesthesia, as there was no wound requiring surgery. However, this contradicts the statement given to the police by Dr. Anjali Pothuval, the anaesthesiologist who administered the anaesthesia. She maintained that the procedure was medically necessary.
The paediatrician who first treated the child and the plastic surgeon involved in the case have also stood by the view that administering anaesthesia was essential.
The investigation into the case is continuing based on the Medical Board’s findings.
