The Hindu : Front Page : City Corporation now to hire ambulances

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Wednesday, Apr 09, 2008
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City Corporation now to hire ambulances

Kannal Achuthan

Medical Officer suspended for failing to attend to a delivery case; inquiry report in two days

CHENNAI: The death of a young woman and her newborn delivered at a Chennai Corporation maternity hospital in Perambur East has whipped the civic body into action.

The Corporation would hire private ambulances that would be stationed at the zonal maternity hospitals to transport patients requiring advanced care to State government hospitals, it was announced.

This is a temporary arrangement till the Corporation buys eight ambulances for the maternity hospitals.

The 21-year-old woman, Kalaivani, a resident of Vyasarpadi, could not be immediately taken to a bigger government hospital when she developed complications as no ambulance was available in the zonal maternity hospital.

A relative said Kalaivani’s condition worsened after the baby was delivered late on Sunday night and hospital staff said she had to be moved to RSRM Maternity Hospital.

Vehicle flagged down

A passing vehicle was flagged down to transport both the mother and baby, who were declared dead on arrival at the hospital.

Mayor M. Subramanian on Tuesday ordered the suspension of the Perambur East maternity hospital’s medical officer, Dr. Vasanthi, as she had not attended to the case in time.

Kalaivani’s mother had sought the doctor’s presence when her daughter complained of severe pain on Sunday morning.

The suspension order came after an inquiry by District Family Welfare (Population Control) Officer K. Vijaya.

She said the full inquiry report would be ready in two days. Already, two maternity assistants have been suspended. Kalaivani’s body was shifted to the Stanley Medical College Hospital for post mortem and the report is expected soon.

Road roko

Her family and relatives had staged a road roko on Erukkancheri High Road blocking traffic for two hours on Monday.

Perambur MLA S.K. Mahendran, who participated in the agitation, said that Corporation hospital doctors must be reachable at any time when a patient’s condition turned serious and when he or she needed to be referred to a bigger hospital.

“In a city with several big government hospitals, such deaths can be prevented if care is given in time,” he said.

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