Surgeon who attended on Mariam back at work

Even as the family of four-year-old Mariam Kouser, who is suffering from hypoxic brain damage following alleged medical negligence, has set up a mini ICU for her at her uncle’s home in Hoskote, one of the doctors from the State-run Sanjay Gandhi Institute of Trauma and Orthopaedics (SGITO) against whom the government claimed to have initiated action is back at work.

Mariam had undergone complications and subsequently suffered hypoxic brain damage after she was operated upon for an elbow fracture at SGITO.

Following allegations of medical negligence, the government had set up a committee to probe the issue.

Based on the committee’s report (headed by State Health Director Geetha Nyamegoudar) that found negligence by doctors who initially operated upon her at SGITO, the government, in January, initiated action against four doctors.

While the services of outsourced consultant anaesthetists (Surangama Tripathi and Deepak) were terminated, head of the Department of Anaesthesia in the hospital P. Shivalingaiah and orthopaedic surgeon Prakashappa T.H. were placed under suspension.

Suspension revoked

However, the suspension was revoked two months later following orders from the High Court of Karnataka that said action could be initiated by the Board of Appointments in SGITO and not by the government directly. Following this, the board gave a clean chit to Dr. Prakashappa as the complications were related to anaesthesia. The board referred the case of Dr. Shivalingaiah to the institute’s Governing Council. The council has decided to get the matter probed again by a retired Sessions Court judge.

SGITO director B.G. Tilak told The Hindu that he had submitted a list of judges to the government and the probe would begin soon after the government finalised the name.

Meanwhile, Mudassir Pasha, Mariam’s father, told The Hindu that the family had its fingers crossed. “We are unable to meet the rising medical expenses as we have already spent Rs. 30 lakh on her treatment. As of now we have been trained to look after her. We have to take her to the hospital once a fortnight,” he said.

“Apart from feeding her once in two-and-a-half hours, we have to change her position after every half hour. We have to monitor her heart beat, pulse and all other parameters continuously. If we appoint a nurse, we have pay at least Rs. 30,000 a month which we cannot afford,” Mr. Pasha said.

The child, who was on a ventilator for over five months, has been able to breathe on her own for the last three months. However, she is in a vegetative state, according to doctors.