Mother of a three-year-old child in Kerala who died after swallowing coins accidentally have launched an indefinite stir as the medical examinations concluded that the cause of death were not the coins.
Prithviraj, the son a Raju and Nandini of Aluva, about ten kilometres from Kochi, met with the tragic end on August 2. The post-mortem examination concluded that the child died due to 'status asthmaticus', a respiratory ailment. But the parents allege that negligence of three hospitals in providing proper treatment to the child was being hushed up.
Nandini, along with a couple of other relatives, started an indefinite stir in from of Aluva government hospital from Saturday.
Prithviraj swallowed a coin on August 1 morning. He was rushed to the Aluva government hospital. The doctors referred him to Ernakulam general hospital and from there the child was referred to the Alappuzha government medical college hospital. The doctors reportedly advised the parents to give plantain, rice and water in plenty to child so that the coin would go out through excretion and they were sent back. But he suffered discomfort by night and died by Sunday morning.
The post-mortem examination recovered two coins of Re. 1 and 50 paise from his body. A team of doctors led by the police surgeon who conducted the examination said that the death was not due to coins as the coins almost reached the rectum and would have come out with excreta. Chemical examination reports also did not reveal anything unnatural. The doctors concluded that the child would have been suffering from respiratory ailments.
The Binanipuram police in Ernakulam probing the case is now probing into the previous medical history of the child. Station house officer V R Sunil said that medical records of the child were sought from the hospitals where he had undergone treatment earlier. Based on that further steps would be taken.
Nandini said that she would continue the stir until the cause of the death was known. "I rushed my child to three hospitals and he died hours afterwards. Is it not medical negligence?," she asks.
The death of Prithviraj had triggered a row in view of allegations that proper treatment was denied. The Aluva government hospital and Ernakulam general hospital authorities maintained that the unavailability of pediatric surgery and gastro surgery facilities were the reason for referring the patient to other hospitals. The medical college authorities said that the coin was found in the stomach and the child was having no other discomfort. Hence it was the normal practice to advice such child to take plenty of plantain and rice so that the object would go out through excretion.