Kayamkulam snakebite death: Kin allege medical negligence

Kottayam: The family of the 42-year-old woman who died of a snakebite on Thursday alleged medical negligence at the hands of authorities at Kayamkulam taluk hospital. On Thursday evening, Saleena, who was the secretary of Kayamkulam Mercantile Welfare Society, was bitten by a snake after attending a wedding reception in Kottukulangara . Though they initially went to a nearby private clinic, they were advised to seek specialized treatment at the Kayamkulam taluk hospital. However, the lack of experience of the doctor on duty affected the treatment, alleged relatives. They pointed out the inability to detect venom in the blood test, and no treatment was provided. Meanwhile, Saleena collapsed in the restroom. She died an hour after reaching the hospital. Despite having antivenom available at the hospital, it was not administered. Additionally, it is alleged that she was not transferred to a better hospital. The preliminary conclusion from the postmortem conducted at Alappuzha medical college indicated that the cause of death was a snakebite, leading to public outrage against the taluk hospital. However, hospital authorities denied the allegations, stating that Saleena did not exhibit symptoms consistent with snakebite. Resident medical officer Prasad told reporters that Saleena arrived at the hospital at 7.12pm and was conscious. "She did not specify it was a snakebite but said something had bitten her. There was a puncture wound near the ankle with no swelling. It did not resemble a snakebite, and her vitals were normal," he said. He added that her attenders were advised to take her to another hospital,but they did not do so. Prasad said there were no neurological symptoms typically associated with snake envenomation, such as bleeding from viper bites, breathing issues, or blurred vision from cobra or common krait bites. Kayamkulam police registered a case of unnatural death and started a probe.