Wayanad Incident

In a bizarre incident, the body of a 28-year-old patient who passed away four days after undergoing nasal polyps surgery at a private hospital in Kalpettar was exhumed from a church cemetery in Pulpally on Tuesday evening, based on a medical negligence complaint filed by the kin of the deceased.

Although the family members of the deceased alleged medical malpractice specifically citing a mistake in administering anaesthesia, the private hospital claimed the cause of death was a heart attack.

The deceased hailed from Cholikkara, Sasimala, near Pulpally.

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According to a recent media report in Onmanorama, the man visited Kalpetta Fatima Hospital for nose surgery and subsequently was admitted. However, he passed away on December 1 after the surgery.

Devastated over the loss, the family members accused the hospital of medical negligence claiming that there was an error in administrating the anaesthesia. Following this, they refrained from conducting a post-mortem or filing a complaint on the day of his death.

At first, the family did not express any grievances, and his body was laid to rest following the final rituals at the cemetery of Infant Jesus Church in Sasimala pending post-mortem examination.

Later on, they filed a complaint with the Kalpetta police, the District Police Chief, the District Collector, the District Medical Officer, and the Health Minister on Monday which prompted the exhumation of his body for further investigation. The family believes that medical negligence occurred during the treatment.

The exhumation process was conducted at the Infant Jesus Church cemetery in Sasimala under the supervision of RS Saji, the tahsildar of Vythiri, with the involvement of personnel from the Pulpally police station. The body was examined by an assistant police surgeon, and subsequently, it was transferred to the Government Medical College, Kozhikode, for a postmortem examination, reports Onmanorama.

The post-mortem examination will likely provide more insights into the cause of his death, and the investigation may help determine whether there were any lapses in medical care during the surgery or postoperative period.

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