2 patients die after dialysis at taluk hosp, probe begins

Kottayam: The Alappuzha district medical officer (DMO) has launched a probe into the death of two patients who underwent dialysis at the Govt Taluk Hospital, Haripad, in Alappuzha on Monday morning. The health department ordered the probe after it was revealed that four patients developed uneasiness during the dialysis at the hospital that day. The deceased have been identified as Haripad native Ramachandran, 60, and Kayamkulam native Majeed, 52. Both developed uneasiness such as vomiting and shivering during dialysis. They had been undergoing dialysis for several years and did not face any such issues earlier, their relatives said. Both were referred to Vandanam Medical College. Ramachandran was shifted to a private hospital, where he died on Wednesday morning, while Majeed passed away at the MCH on Tuesday night.According to Hari, brother-in-law of Ramachandran, there were six people who underwent dialysis along with Ramachandran. "Among them, four developed health issues such as shivering and high blood pressure. Two of them died, while the other two are under treatment," he said, adding that the issues developed hardly 1 hour after the dialysis started, and it had to be stopped before completion. Ramachandran has been undergoing dialysis since 2016 and was running a vegetable shop. Hari also alleged that by the time they reached the hospital, they found Ramachandran lying unattended in the observation room. "We were asked to take him to the MCH on Monday evening. When we reached there, we were told that the infection has already spread and needed ICU care. Since there was no bed available in ICU, we took him to a private hospital, where he died on Wednesday morning," he said.Meanwhile, Shamnad, a relative of Majeed, said he did not have any health issues. Majeed, who was an autorickshaw driver, always went alone to the hospital for dialysis. On Monday also he drove his auto to the hospital. "He left home by 5am, and after 6, dialysis started," he said. He said he received a phone call from the hospital that the health condition of Majeed was not ok. "By the time we arrived at the taluk hospital with Majeed's daughter, we were told that Majeed was sent to Vandanam MCH in an ambulance. How can they send him alone in an ambulance?" asked Shamnad. "He was normal, and I spoke to him even minutes before he died," Shamnad said. The hospital has facilities for doing dialysis for seven patients at a time. On Monday morning, six underwent dialysis. One more patient, who developed health issues, is under treatment in the MCH in serious condition. As per the DMO's instructions, a team of experts visited the hospital to determine whether the dialysis machine had malfunctioned or not. The hospital superintendent stated that a thorough probe would be conducted to find out if infections during dialysis were the cause of the deaths. Haripad MLA Ramesh Chennithala had requested health minister Veena George to conduct a detailed probe into the incident.