Docs 'barge into' ICU

Chaos prevailed at Malathi Manipal Hospital – where Mariyam Kousar has been admitted due to an alleged overdose of anaesthesia – as a group of people allegedly intruded into the intensive care unit.

Reshma, a relative of the patient, alleged that a few men claiming to be doctors from the “main Manipal Hospital” barged into the ICU stating that they had come to examine the infrastructure where the three-year-old was being treated.

“I grew suspicious when they began taking a close look at her records and hand,” she said, adding that her doubts grew stronger when she saw the cars the men arrived in parked outside with the ‘Government of Karnataka’ tag. She claimed that the men who went into the ICU were doctors from the Sanjay Gandhi Hospital.

Dr H Sudarshan Ballal, Director, Manipal Hospitals, however, clarified that the men who walked into the ICU were a part of the committee appointed by the Health Department to probe the matter.

“Doctors from Sanjay Gandhi Institute of Trauma and Orthopaedics (SGITO) are also a part of the team. This might have led to the confusion,” Ballal explained.

Kousar, who is battling for life following an alleged overdose of anaesthesia, underwent tracheostomy and is kept under observation for 48 hours. Her relatives said her conditions continued to remain critical. The family members of the child will stage a protest on Tuesday in front of the SGITO, demanding the suspension of the doctors accused of medical negligence.