At Thiruvananthapuram Medical College Hospital, it’s business as usual now

KGMCTA condemns Health Minister’s ‘knee-jerk’ action

It was business as usual at the Government Medical College Hospital (MCH), Thiruvananthapuram, on Wednesday, where high drama had been prevailing since the past few days following the death of a renal transplant recipient post surgery on Monday. The death had been accompanied by allegations of negligence, including a “delay” in initiating the surgery. 

On Wednesday, the Kerala Government Medical College Teachers’ Association (KGMCTA), staging a protest on the MCH premises, condemned Health Minister Veena George for playing to the gallery and suspending two senior doctors even before an inquiry had been conducted to ascertain if indeed there had been any negligence in the manner in which the renal transplant had been coordinated.

The government’s “knee-jerk” reaction had only served to demoralise the fraternity. They said that with no tangible evidence pointing to any protocol violation or medical negligence, the only failing that the government could point to now was that “outsiders” (ambulance drivers) had carried the ice box containing the organ to the theatre. 

The KGMCTA also reiterated that the whole issue smacked of a controversy to malign the image of the MCH.

The Indian Medical Association (IMA) has also come out strongly against the “unnecessary controversy” over the renal transplant and the manner in which the doctors had been served the suspension order.

Deceased donor organ transplant is an event fraught with many complexities and the government lamely accepting allegations of “delay in surgery” and punishing doctors without even a basic understanding of the complexities involved is contemptible, the IMA said in a statement here. 

Punishing doctors to pander to the public while taking no responsibility for system failures seemed to be a pattern with this government and it will only destroy the morale of doctors, the IMA said.

Meanwhile, no case has been registered by the police yet on the complaint filed by the MCH administration that “outsiders” had “snatched and run” with the ice box. The government is yet to issue orders constituting an inquiry committee either, despite promising a comprehensive inquiry to ascertain the facts of the case.