Footballer dies after botched surgery

Seventeen-year-old R Priya was so passionate about playing football that she posted a message that the “game will never go away from me” on WhatsApp, even as she was fighting for her life due to complications from a botched surgery.

The surgery that went wrong and the hospital didn’t deter Priya who spoke to her friends about her “come back.” But the botched surgery performed on her by doctors at the Government Peripheral Hospital in Periyar Nagar in north Chennai claimed her life on Tuesday.

R Priya, who was pursuing B. Sc (Physical Education) at the Queen Mary’s College in Chennai, took her last breath at 7.15 am at the Rajiv Gandhi Government General Hospital (RGGGH) where she was shifted for further treatment.

The college student underwent a surgery to repair her torn ligaments in her right knee on November 7 at the Government Peripheral Hospital in Periyar Nagar in north Chennai. However, the doctors who performed the surgery did not tie the band properly post the surgical procedure leading to issues in blood circulation.

Health Minister Ma Subramanian said the government has suspended two doctors – the hospital’s Chief Medical Officer (CMO) Dr K Somasundar and Dr Paul Ram Shankar – have been placed under suspension for negligence and a case has also been registered against them. The girl’s family and friends demand that the doctors be arrested.

“The procedure performed on Priya was not done in a proper manner and the girl was shifted to RGGGH on November 8 for further treatment. She was being treated and monitored by a team of doctors from various departments for the past few days. But she died due to severe complications in kidney and blood circulation,” Subramanian said.

Priya’s friends shared screenshots of her last status update on WhatsApp last week which shows the passion that she had for football. “All friends and relatives, I will come back soon. So don’t worry about anything. I will give a mass entry very soon. The game will never go out of me. So, wait for me, I will be back,” she wrote.

The girl’s relatives and friends alleged that the doctors at the Government Peripheral Hospital did not provide any details of the treatment provided to Priya during her stay. They said Priya was very passionate about playing football and got admitted to the hospital for a surgery to get her ligaments repaired in order to play the game properly.

Her father demanded that the government take steps to ensure that such incidents don’t recur in the future.

The minister added that an internal inquiry has found that the doctors who performed the surgery on the college student were at fault as they did not follow the post-surgery process in the right manner. Before passing away, the footballer had to go through harrowing moments as her right leg was amputated due to complications developed during the surgery.

The government announced a solatium of Rs 10 lakh to the girl’s family and promised a government job to one family member. The minister said he had even planned to get a battery leg to Priya after her leg was amputated but it was “unfortunate” that she passed away.

Subramanian said the girl’s ligaments had torn a year ago, but they suffered further injuries after which she approached doctors who suggested that a surgery be performed on her.