Strike claims girl’s life in Puttur

Government and private hospitals play blame game

November 18, 2017 01:14 am | Updated 01:14 am IST - Mangaluru

A woman who was suffering from chronic renal failure died of complications on Friday after being unable to get timely dialysis following the private doctors’ strike.

Pooja, 20, a resident of Kabaka and a second B.Com student at Vivekananda College, Puttur, was undergoing dialysis twice a week, on Tuesday and Friday at City Hospital, Puttur, under the guidance of specialists of K.S. Hegde Medical Academy (Kshema), Deralakatte, Mangaluru, according to social activist Purushottam. When she went for dialysis on Tuesday, technicians at City Hospital told her that she needed a blood transfusion that has to be done under a specialist’s guidance; but he was not available on the telephone. She was then taken to Kshema and had to return owing to the absence of the specialist, Mr. Purushottam told The Hindu. Even as she developed breathlessness at home on Thursday night, attempts to contact the specialist were in vain and she died on the way to Puttur Government Hospital, he said.

Mr. Purushottam said though the woman was undergoing dialysis for the past few months, she was regularly consulting the specialist.

Pooja was the second of three daughters of the late Ganesh Acharya and Geetha, who work as labourers. Ganesh passed away six months ago and Pooja’s death is another shock to the family, Mr. Purushottam said.

The Puttur Town Police Inspector Mahesh Prasad said the police have received information about the death and are filing a report. He said the woman was not given treatment at both private hospitals even as she was not taken to any government hospital initially.

Dakshina Kannada District Health Officer Ramakrishna Rao claimed he was not aware of the incident. Puttur General Hospital in-charge Veena was evasive in responding whether the girl was undergoing dialysis at the hospital.

Meanwhile, a Kshema spokesperson said the girl was attended to at the hospital on Tuesday and was advised to undergo a blood transfusion. But she refused citing financial constraints, he said.

Protest against government

Relatives and friends of Pooja, who died of chronic renal failure at Puttur on Friday, held a protest in front of Mini Vidhana Soudha decrying government apathy in dealing with doctors’ strike and demanding compensation to the family.

The protesters were aghast that the girl did not get timely treatment either from private hospitals or from government hospitals when she was battling for her life.

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