The health department on Friday relieved two senior doctors of Niloufer Hospital, citing prima facie negligence in the case of recent maternal deaths.
C. Suresh Kumar, hospital’s superintendent, and K. Usha Rani, Resident Medical Officer (RMO), were relieved of their duties in a government order that also acknowledged that a detailed probe into the deaths was under way by Hyderabad Collector Rahul Bojja.
While Dr. Kumar was replaced by Dr. Shailaja, superintendent of Government Maternity Hospital, Sultan Bazar, Dr. Rani’s next posting and her replacement was not announced in the order. Sources said the decision was taken on the basis of findings of the three-man committee comprising medical doctors that submitted a preliminary report on the incident.
Between January 28 and February 4, five women had succumbed following c-section surgeries. In all cases, death was known to have happened following excessive bleeding. Relatives of patients also had alleged negligence which the Collector was said to be looking into.
Following the deaths, the hospital administration shut down operations and fumigated the premises. All surgical procedures, including c-section deliveries, are being directed to other hospitals.
The government collected samples of the five women and took swabs from the operation theatres to determine if infection was the cause.
