Police in Kerala's Alappuzha district have taken serious legal action against medical officials following the tragic deaths of two patients linked to a government hospital's dialysis unit. The Haripad Police registered a case against the superintendent and staff members of the Haripad Government Taluk Hospital, citing alleged negligence and unhygienic conditions.
Case Registered Under New BNS Provisions
Based on a formal complaint lodged by Harikumar, a relative of the deceased 60-year-old Ramachandran, authorities have invoked sections of the new Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS). The First Information Report (FIR) was registered under BNS sections 125, 106(1), and 3(5). The complaint alleged that the negligence of the hospital staff directly led to the infection and subsequent deterioration of multiple patients undergoing life-saving dialysis treatment.
Chronology of a Medical Tragedy
The incident unfolded on December 29. Ramachandran, a kidney patient who had been receiving dialysis at the hospital for the past three years, began his session around 6 am. Within an hour, his treatment had to be discontinued abruptly as he developed severe symptoms including shivering, vomiting, and high fever. Shockingly, the same adverse reaction was reported in four other patients undergoing dialysis simultaneously.
Ramachandran was shifted to a private hospital but succumbed to his condition on the morning of December 31. In a parallel tragedy, another patient from the same dialysis session, identified as Majeed, died at the Vandanam Medical College on December 30.
Allegations of Systemic Negligence
The FIR presents a damning picture of the conditions within the dialysis unit. It explicitly states that Ramachandran and the other four patients were infected due to the unhygienic state of the dialysis unit. Furthermore, it accuses the hospital staff of deliberately ignoring the fact that these unsanitary conditions posed a clear and imminent danger to the vulnerable patients under their care.
The case highlights critical failures in maintaining basic hygiene protocols in a sensitive medical setting. The police action underscores the legal accountability of healthcare administrators and staff for ensuring patient safety, especially in critical care units like dialysis centers where patients are immunocompromised.
