Amidst the mystery of maternal deaths at Niloufer Hospital, a six-year-old child died after 62-day hospitalisation at Gandhi Hospital on Tuesday.
The child, Sai Pravalika, was admitted to the hospital in the first week of December as she was suffering from a rare degenerative disorder called neuronal ceroid lipofuscinosis. On December 15, her parents produced a bottle of saline with an insect inside before the media, alleging that the contaminant had worsened the condition of their child.
The hospital administration, however, maintained that the father had disappeared with the bottle for two hours on that day, before reappearing with it and thus they could not rule out possible contamination from outside the hospital. A test of saline bottles of the same batch as the contaminated bottle did not reveal any contamination, says Gandhi Hospital’s Superintendent Dr. J.V. Reddy.
Negligence alleged
After the girl’s death was announced early on Tuesday, the parents alleged negligence on the part of the hospital in treatment.
“It is unfair for the government to say that my actions had led to contamination. I did not go anywhere and was standing outside the superintendent’s office on that day when the contaminant was found,” said the girl’s father Bikshapathi, who had lodged a police complaint in December. “I have also been intimidated and threatened with a police case for speaking out,” he said. The girl’s body was moved by the family to its home-town in Jangaon district for last rites.
Patients diverted
At Niloufer Hospital, visible police presence deterred entry to outsiders even as patients who arrived for surgery were diverted to other government maternity hospitals. Families of some of the deceased women spoke with media when Justice B. Chandrakumar, president of the Telangana Praja Vedika, visited the hospital to learn about the deaths.
Five women died between January 28 and February 4 at Niloufer Hospital in circumstances that were not immediately explainable. The State government called for a probe through a three-man medical committee that submitted its findings to the government on Tuesday.
Sources in the health department said these findings were being treated as preliminary, establishing the facts of the matter, and a more detailed investigation hinged on laboratory testing of samples. The district collector of Hyderabad was appointed on Tuesday to oversee the investigation.
