Tuesday, 30 July 2013 00:00
-
- {{hitsCtrl.values.hits}}
By Lakmal Sooriyagoda
The Judicial Medical Officer’s report regarding the questionable death of a five-year-old girl at a private hospital in Colombo had said a cardiac pathological reason for the cardiac arrest was not detected at the autopsy.
The JMO report issued by Dr. D.M.N. Ruhul Haq further said that the reason for cardiac arrest has to be investigated medically and technically.
However, a paediatrician at the hospital testifying at the inquest into the death of the five-year-old girl, Buddhini Kaushalya Ratnayake, had told that he learnt that the child was suffering from sudden Cardiac Arrest symptoms.
The JMO observed that the allegations brought by the mother of the child and also father of the child indicating a medical mismanagement has to be investigated multi-disciplinary through the Ministry of Health.
Meanwhile, Colombo Fort Magistrate Thilina Gamage yesterday issued notices on the JMO to appear before Court on 26 August to give evidence in connection with the post-mortem report on the questionable death of a five-year-old girl.
Lodging a complaint with Slave Island police, the parents of the deceased child complained that their five-year-old died inside a MRI scanning machine at the hospital due to the negligence of the hospital.
Indumathi Ekanayake, the child’s mother told Court on 31 January, that she brought her daughter to the private hospital in Colombo because she was suffering from minor symptoms similar to a fit. She said it was the first time the child had suffered from such abnormal symptoms.
The mother said the doctor who checked the child recommended three blood tests, EEG test and to obtain an MRI scan report. The witness said after being anesthetised, her daughter Buddhini Kaushalya Ratnayake was laid in the MRI scanning machine and a sound was heard after 30 minutes.
She further complained to Court that although her daughter had died inside the machine; the hospital management had concealed this fact and declared that she died four days later.
However, Dr. Duminda Pathirana, a paediatrician at the hospital giving evidence at the inquest into the death of the five-year-old girl, denied claims made by the parents that she died inside the MRI machine and ascertained that she died in the Surgical Intensive Care Unit (SICU) while being under treatment for Rett Syndrome.
