Doctor’s Negligence Case – IMA Clarifies

The death of a mother at the time of “childbirth” is really the worst thing that can happen to anyone. Yes, the medical fraternity also joins the family of the deceased in their grief. At the same time, we notice that an experienced senior “lady” doctor is being unfairly targeted by some sections of media and social network without knowing the actual facts. So, IMA Udupi, Karavali is issuing this press note to clarify our views.

The said delivery took place in one of the well-equipped secondary care centers for delivery, at the hands of a qualified, experienced, well-known obstetric surgeon.

The said doctor attends the said patient admitted during the day at 11:00 pm when the patient had gone into labour. The doctor tried her best for normal delivery, but as the doctor noticed that the baby’s heartbeat had slowed down, she decided to go for a caesarean section. She called for a child specialist and an anesthetist to attend the delivery after consulting the parents.

After successful delivery, the doctor notices excessive bleeding. The Doctor, after consulting with the patient’s parents decides to shift the patient to higher medical center, KMC, Manipal as she feels, the patient will require a massive blood transfusion. The patient is shifted to KMC, Manipal where she dies three hours after admission. The family of the deceased cremate the body without postmortem, even though they were advised for a post-mortem. After a lapse of 5 days, the same family decides to lodge a complaint alleging medical negligence on the part of the doctor. Social networks and a section of print and visual media have been disseminating malicious, biased and unscientific things like ‘doctor has cut a “blood-nerve”, doctor killed the patient’ without ascertaining the facts and showing the doctor in a negative light.

Indian Medical Association, Udupi Karavali, with the help of senior obstetricians has taken stock of the situation and would like to state the following facts to clear the doubts in the minds of the public.

Bleeding after delivery is an expected complication of every delivery. It is an unusual but known “Medical complication” The said death occurred as a result of postpartum hemorrhage. Postpartum hemorrhage is a medical complication, where a mother loses a significant volume of blood within a short period because of various reasons after delivery. The most common cause is a poor contraction of the uterus following childbirth. The incidence of PPH in India is 2 – 6 % after the delivery. In India, PPH contributes to staggering 30 to 40 % of all maternal death and 45% of the maternal death occurs within 24 hrs of childbirth. When PPH happens it is a serious condition where the patient can go into shock, organ failure and death in spite of best medical management.

The said doctor noticed that blood was not clotting and immediately, within thirty minutes has shifted the patient and child to higher center, KMC, along with a supportive medical team comprising a doctor and 2 nurses, for emergency transfusion and necessary treatment after due intimation to the duty doctor at KMC Manipal.

IMA does not see any negligence on the part of the doctor. The allegations of vessels being cut are totally false, malicious and unfounded. We request the public not to believe in malicious messages and facebook and Whatsapp shares.

As a disheartening development, secondary to this death certain fringe elements in society, self-declared custodians of patients’ rights are threatening the doctor of dire consequences. IMA sees this as a very bad development. We CONDEMN such rage responses. We have already apprised the police authorities of this. We will, in no uncertain terms, tolerate this sort of tactics and will deal with it firmly as per the law of the land.

We bring to your notice that unscrupulous comments and responses will demoralise the already “overworked” doctors and affect the society in routine medical practice. At the same time IMA and said doctor will not shy away from the legal trial as per law of the land. In fact, we encourage patients and relatives knocking the doors of statutory bodies like the medical council or court of law. But we decisively denigrate medias one-sided trial. We request the public to understand that no doctor worth his salt would kill a patient or do harm to a patient in his professional career.

we sympathize with the bereaved family and pray for the wellbeing of the deceased’s child. But at the same time, we express solidarity with lady doctor who has been working for the welfare of society selflessly for the past 25years, who is being subjected to mental torture and disrepute harming her professional interest which is unbecoming of civilized society. We request media an important part of Indian democracy to publish true facts and help us to preserve the trust between patient and doctor which is an important part of the curative process.

Dr Geetha president IMA Udupi, Dr Vasudev Secretary, Dr P V Bhandary and Dr Sathish Kamath were present in the press meet.