The mother of a three-year-old child who had reportedly swallowed two coins and died less than 24 hours later at the Aluva taluk hospital on August 2 night began an indefinite protest in front of the hospital on Saturday demanding an independent probe to ascertain the exact cause of his death.
The sit-in was launched under the banner of Justice for Prithviraj action council. The child’s mother Nandini said that her protest would continue till the authorities accepted her demands.
‘Biased probe’
She was joined by family members as they held placards alleging that the investigations till now were biased and favouring the doctors, who had examined the child. The death had stirred a controversy around medical apathy since the boy was taken to three different hospitals, including Ernakulam General Hospital and the Government Medical College Hospital in Alappuzha — before his death.
However, the forensic report had ruled out the presence of foreign body as the potential cause for the death. It had attributed the death to a condition called status asthmaticus, which is considered an acute state of asthma unresponsive to standard treatments. The Binanipuram police who had registered a case for unnatural death even as the family alleged medical negligence.
Status asthmaticus
The forensic report attributed the death to complications related to breathing emanating from status asthmaticus. Adding to the theory was the boy’s pneumonic history. He was hospitalised as latest as February due to breathing complications. The boy had reportedly developed cold owing to extensive travel on the fatal day, which may have further deteriorated his already failing condition, the police said.
But Ms. Nandini ruled out all these findings alleging that all these investigations failed to reveal the exact cause behind her son’s death. “My child did not receive proper treatment,” she alleged.
