Delivery death case
Mob outburst targets Private clinic, Doctor
Source: The Sangai Express

Imphal, July 02: In connection with death of a young woman at RIMS Hospital yesterday where she was referred to as her condition deteriorated after delivering a child through caesarian operation at Leirik Memorial Charitable Hospital, irate family members and local people ransacked the private hospital located at Sangaiprou and the house of Dr Laishram Sukumar at Keishamthong Hodam Leirak today.

Though there is no report of any human casualty in the twin attack, the irate people pelted stones breaking all the window panes and put the hospital under locks.

Acting on the complaint of the family members, Lamphel Police have also registered a case against Dr Sukumar.

Information received by the press said Laishram Ningol Keisham Ongbi Sonibala alias Pakpi (28) w/o Keisham Herojit of Utlou Kangjeibung Mapan, near SAI Complex delivered her first child, a boy, through caesarian operation at Leirik Memorial Charitable Hospital, Sangaiprou on June 29 afternoon.

The operation was performed by Dr Sukumar.

As the condition of Sunibala deteriorated after the operation, Dr Sukumar referred her to RIMS Hospital the following day.

Mob attack Leirik Memorial Hospital following the death of a woman in a delivery case

The doctor himself was present when Sunibala was brought and admitted to the Intensive Care Unit of RIMS Hospital.

But she failed to respond to the treatment and passed away at around 7.30 pm yesterday.

Her new born child, however, is said to be healthy and normal.

According to family members of the deceased woman, Sunibala has been under the medical supervision of Dr Sukumar of Keishamthong Hodam Leirak since she was in her five months of pregnancy.

Sunibala was brought to Leirik Memorial Hospital at around 7.45 am of June 29 and at around 12.15 pm she gave birth through caesarian.

However at around 10 pm, she had difficulties in passing discharging urine and her tummy began to swell.

When Sunibala complained of pain and requested that her family members be called , the hospital authorities did not comply, alledged the family members.

At around 9.15am of the following day, Dr Sukumar and Dr Monika rushed Sunibala from Leirik Hospital to RIMS in an ambulance.After giving suggestion to the family members for taking Sonibala to Kolkata for treatment and not to worry about expense, Dr Sukumar left at around 10.20 am and did not come back again at all.

When the patient's party went to his residence at around 4 pm yesterday to inquire why he was not coming, Dr Sukumar replied in a very light-hearted manner that they (the patient's party) might want to lay hands on him if any untoward incident happen to the patient.

Subsequently, Sonibala passed away at RIMS at around 8 pm yesterday, although son is still alive.

Decrying the attitude of Dr Sukumar in hiding while his patient was struggling for life in the hospital, the bereaved family members contended that this shows the guiltiness of the doctor.

To err is human and Dr Sukumar should have taken into confidence the family members in doing everything that could be possible to save the life of his patient, the bereaved family members said.

On the other hand, even if the patient's party charged the authority of the Leirik Hospital with negligence of duty and held Dr Sukumar responsible for the death of the woman patient , Dr Sukumar has asserted that there is no mistake on his part.

Dr Sukumar clarified that Sonibala was not a patient whom he had been treating right from the beginning.

He had treated her at the request of one of his colleagues, Anaesthetist Dr Monika.

Dr Sukumar recalled that Herojit, husband of deceased woman came to Leirik Hospital along with the results of the ultra sound of Sonibala on June 27 to consult if Sonibala can deliver her child in June as her mother own had died during child birth in the month of July.

Consequently, June 29 was fixed for the caesarian operation.

The condition of Sonibala was perfectly normal when he returned home in the evening of June 29, Dr Sukumar said, adding that but next morning, he suspected that the patient might be suffering from jaundice, although he did not have knowledge on the case history of the patient.

He noticed that the patient discharged 600 millilitres of urine by 7.30 pm of June 29 and another 595 millilitres in the morning of June 30.Though the quantity of urine discharged was not low, its reddish yellow colour made him to suspect that the patient might be having jaundice.

Consequently, he looked for a hospital with dialysis facilities and brought her to RIMS.

It is possible that the patient was already having pregnancy related complication such as Thrombotic Thrombocytic Purpura (TTP), Hemolitic Uremic Syndrome (HUS), etc which affect the urinary tract due to presence of plasmas in the blood stream, Dr Sukumar said.

It is a rare medical case where the risk involved during or after the operation is very high.

As a result, he was trying to contact his acquaintances doctors at Kolkata for taking the patient and had even arranged an ambulance for the purpose, Dr Sukumar said.

While the patient was undergoing treatment at RIMS, Dr Sukumar further informed he had consulted Dr Indra and Dr Sarat for doing everything possible to save the life of the patient.

Even though he did not come back to RIMS Hospital after the patient was admitted in consideration of various factors like the likely complaint and grievances of the patient's party, Dr Sukumar said he had not rested even for a moment while thinking about his patient.

The morale of the doctors would be downed if they were to be held responsible for death of any patient treated by them, Dr Sukumar rued.

Meanwhile, acting on the complaint of the family members, Lamphel police have registered a case against Dr Sukumar.

The post mortem of the body has also been conducted later during the day today at the mortuary of RIMS Hospital along with video recording of the whole procedure.

Prior to the post-mortem, Executive Magistrate of Imphal West N Tombisana had conducted inquest of the body.

After the post-mortem, the body was handed over to the bereaved family members.

Meanwhile the Hodam Lairembi Club has during a meeting expressed strong resentment against the assault launched at the residence of Dr Sukumar.