Patient death provokes assault; doctors protest

Case of negligence filed by relatives of victim against doctors

Four doctors of K R Hospital in the city were assaulted, as irate relatives blamed the doctors for the death of a patient at the hospital in Mysore on Sunday. Following the assault, doctors at the hospital staged a protest demanding action against the assaulters.

Dr Riyaz Ahmed and postgraduate students Dr B Santosh, Dr N S Ravichandra and Dr C Shakthikumar were assaulted.

Background

Mutthu Venkataiah (75), a resident of  Boodabalu village in Kollegal taluk was referred to K R Hospital by a health centre in Kollegal on June 13. The patient was admitted to the hospital in a critical condition, owing to acute gastroenteritis and renal failure.

“The patient had hypotension when he was admitted to the hospital. Doctors at the hospital had administered 30 bottles of intravenous fluids with hopes to recover the conditions of the ailing patient. However, he did not respond to the treatment and breathed his last at around 11 am on Sunday,” said Medical Superintendent of K R Hospital, Dr B G Sagar.

He added that all necessary treatments had been initiated to save the patient, but in vain.

Dr Riyaz Ahmed, a doctor of the hospital, who was assaulted at the hospital said that one of the relatives of the patient was informed about the deteriorating condition well in advance.

“However, when the patient breathed his last, the relative was not present. The other relatives started verbally abusing me and three other post-graduate students. Our attempts to convince them about the condition of the patient was futile and they started assaulting us,” he said.

His heart was not functioning properly and his kidneys were severely damaged due to dehydration, he added.

Protest

Following the assault, doctors at the hospital staged a protest demanding the arrest of the culprits behind the attack. Medical Superintendent of K R Hospital, Dr B G Sagar and Dean of Mysore Medical College, Dr Geetha Avadhani visited the spot and convinced the doctors to withdraw the protest.

Inspector of Devaraja Police Station, Kantharaju said that hospital authorities have lodged a case against “four to five” individuals for assault.

Relatives of Venkataiah have lodged a counter complaint blaming negligence of doctors for his death. “No senior doctors visited the patient. Only post graduate students were left to check his health condition. When we went to enquire this, the doctors attacked us,” relatives of the deceased alleged.