Tumakuru medical negligence case: Govt to arrange for orphaned girl’s welfare

TUMAKURU: Karnataka Health Minister K Sudhakar visited the Tumakuru District Hospital on Friday and announced that the district administration would arrange free education and accommodation for up to 18 years for the six-years-old girl who lost her mother due to the alleged ‘negligence by doctors’ here.

“This is a dereliction of duty. They behaved inhumanly. I am shocked by this incident. The unlucky girl is an orphan now. If her family members do not support her the district administration will arrange for free education and accommodation for up to 18 years,” Health Minister K Sudhakar said mentioning that a total of four persons, including three nurses have been suspended for not treating the woman immediately with intensive care.

Sudhakar said that they had seen the CCTV video where the woman, who was in her labour, was taken inside the hospital by nurses after she was brought here by her two neighbours on Wednesday. He further said that the case seems to be a matter of ‘negligence of duty’ of the three nurses who were working in the maternity ward. “Apparently, it seems that the three nurses working in the maternity ward have committed negligence of duty. There was also a duty doctor in the hospital,” Sudhakar said.

He also added that he would make a Fixed Deposit for the girl, an official statement said. The Karnataka Health Minister also took to Twitter informing that a full investigation has been ordered into the incident and a report for the same was also sought.

“A full investigation has been ordered into the incident that took place at Tumkur District Hospital on Wednesday and a report has been ordered, and the doctors and nurses who were working in the maternity ward on that day have been suspended,” MLA Sudhakar said while retweeting the Health Department’s official notice.

02.11.2022 ರಂದು ತುಮಕೂರು ಜಿಲ್ಲಾ ಆಸ್ಪತ್ರೆಯ ಹೆರಿಗೆ ವಾರ್ಡಿನಲ್ಲಿ ಕಾರ್ಯನಿರ್ವಹಿಸುತ್ತಿದ್ದ ವೈದ್ಯಾಧಿಕಾರಿ ಹಾಗೂ ಶುಶ್ರೂಷಾಧಿಕಾರಿಗಳನ್ನು ಅಮಾನತ್ತುಗೊಳಿಸುವ ಬಗ್ಗೆ. pic.twitter.com/tSJRA3HI2o

— Karnataka Health Department (@DHFWKA) November 4, 2022

“In an emergency, the primary duty of doctors, nurses and other staff is to alleviate the pain and suffering of the patient and there is already a government order that the patient should not be forced to provide any documentation in an emergency, and the order has been published again,”

Sudhakar wrote in a series of his tweet emphasising that she was asked to provide a maternity card and the aadhar card. He said that the department has formed a high-level committee meeting to probe thoroughly into the matter and has ordered a report in two weeks.

ಈ ಘಟನೆಯನ್ನು ನಮ್ಮ ಸರ್ಕಾರ ಹಾಗೂ ಆರೋಗ್ಯ ಇಲಾಖೆ ಗಂಭೀರವಾಗಿ ಪರಿಗಣಿಸಿದ್ದು ಘಟನೆಯ ಕುರಿತು ತನಿಖೆ ನಡೆಸಲು ಆರೋಗ್ಯ ಇಲಾಖೆಯ ಆಯುಕ್ತರ ಅಧ್ಯಕ್ಷತೆಯಲ್ಲಿ ಉನ್ನತ ಮಟ್ಟದ ಸಮಿತಿ ರಚಿಸಲಾಗಿದೆ. ಈ ಸಮಿತಿಗೆ ಇನ್ನೆರಡು ವಾರಗಳಲ್ಲಿ ವರದಿ ನೀಡುವಂತೆ ಆದೇಶಿಸಲಾಗಿದೆ.

4/5

— Dr Sudhakar K (@DrSudhakar_) November 3, 2022

“If found guilty in the investigation report, the suspended personnel will not only be dismissed from service but strict legal action will be taken against them. Strict orders have been given to all the health officials to take precautions so that this kind of incident does not occur again,” his tweet added.

The deceased mother, identified as Kasturi, was a resident of Bharatinagar in Tumakuru and used to live with her six-year-old daughter. She was allegedly denied treatment at the Tumakuru District Hospital in Karnataka on the grounds that she did not have the “mother health card”.
Apart from this, it has also been alleged that instead of treating her, the health professionals at this hospital also told the woman to get treatment at the Victoria Hospital in Bangalore and she returned home as she lacked money.

On Thursday morning, Kasturi and her two sons died due to severe blood loss while delivering the babies. She had given birth to twin boys, a local source said. (ANI)