Row over deaths of patients after fire incident at MCH

The death of five patients who were admitted in the surgical intensive care unit in the multispeciality block of Government Medical College hospital, Thiruvananthapuram, in the subsequent days following the fire that broke out in the ICU on March 17, has now sparked a controversy with a section of the media reporting that the families of some of the patients had alleged that the condition of the patients had worsened after they were shifted out of the ICU.

However, the MCH authorities have categorically denied that the fire incident had led to any lapses in the care given to the patients. In a statement issued here on Saturday, they termed it “unfortunate” that the death of patients who were seriously ill were being linked to the fire incident and said that the media should desist from publishing falsities

They also denied receiving any formal complaints about the deaths. If any of the families wish to proceed with a formal complaint, appropriate legal measures will be taken, they added.

The fire had broken out in the surgical ICU on the first floor of the multispeciality block after one of the ventilators burst at about 8.55 a.m, leading to a fire. The fire had been extinguished by the healthcare personnel themselves and they had got the situation under control by the time the fire force crew landed.

The 16 patients in the ICU as well as another 16 who were in the ward opposite the ICU were all shifted out immediately and accommodated in alternate ICU facilities in wards 7 and 8, according to hospital authorities. They had said that except for the thick smoke causing some suffocation to two healthcare personnel, patients were all safe and sound.

However, one patient had died later on the same day, while four others died between March 18-20, according to MCH authorities. Apparently, the families of some patients have now raised the allegation that it was the disruption in ICU care which had led to the death of the patients.

“All the patients were road traffic accident victims with serious injuries and their case sheets clearly noted the prognosis to be poor. Their condition had been explained to the caregivers too,” says C.G. Jayachandran, Superintendent of MCH.

He explained that postmortems had been conducted in all cases as these were road traffic accidents and that the reports were available with the police.The Forensic department had clarified that the deaths were because of the extensive injuries of the patients and not in any way connected to the fire incident, the statement issued by MCH authorities said.

Meanwhile Leader of the Opposition V.D. Satheesan in a statement issued here, said that the allegations raised by the families of patients were serious and that the Health department and the police should investigate these complaints seriously. He said that the series of mishaps that seemed to be happening in the health sector with fair regularity was proof of the Opposition’s charge that Arogya Keralam was in a ventilator.