Excelsior Correspondent
SRINAGAR, July 23: A woman from south Kashmir’s Pulwama district died today under circumstances pointing to alleged medical negligence of doctors at District Hospital (DH) Pulwama after she was referred to Lal Ded Hospital here.
Identified as Anisa Jan, 30, married to Feroz Ahmad since October last year, the patient underwent her first childbirth and was taken to Lal Ded Hospital from DH Pulwama in critical condition at around 3:30 am, where she succumbed at 8:30 am.
According to family members, she was admitted to DH Pulwama earlier and underwent a Lower Segment Caesarean Section (LSCS) around 9 pm on Saturday. The procedure seemed to go well, and she gave birth to a baby girl, bringing joy to the family.
“She was brought out at 10:15 pm with a baby girl. They were both doing well; she even fed her newborn, but, least did she know that she would die just after a few hours,” expressed the agitated family members who gathered at Lal Ded Hospital trying to register their protest.
Disturbingly, the family recounts, merely 30 minutes after being brought out of the operating theatre, Anisa started experiencing excruciating abdominal pain. Concerned, the family informed the doctors at DH Pulwama. However, they were reassured that both the mother and the newborn were in good health, and the pain was a normal aftereffect of childbirth.
Despite the family’s efforts to alleviate Anisa’s pain, her condition continued to deteriorate rapidly. After an hour of enduring immense suffering, she reportedly attempted to remove her stitches in a desperate attempt to find relief.
“The doctors then came, and she was referred to Lal Ded Hospital for treatment, but upon reaching here, it all turned bad for us,” said the distressed family members.
Upon arriving at Lal Ded Hospital, Anisa was in critical condition, while the medical staff worked diligently, following Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs), but unfortunately, they could not save her life.
“We received her in a very critical condition. We did everything we could, by the book and as per the set protocol, but she died eventually,” Medical Superintendent, Lal Ded Hospital, Dr Muzaffar Sherwani told Excelsior.
Adding to the family’s grief, an elderly family member present during the examination allegedly overheard doctors discussing the situation. According to the witness, the doctors mentioned that the patient’s body had already “suffered damage” during her time at DH Pulwama.
The family urged the doctors at Lal Ded Hospital to accurately report any damages observed in Anisa’s internal organs during her initial treatment at DH Pulwama.
Meanwhile, Medical Superintendent, DH Pulwama, Dr Abdul Gani Dar, told Excelsior that a team of experts would be constituted to thoroughly investigate the matter. “The family is aggrieved, and we will ascertain what went wrong. If any negligence is found, appropriate action will be taken,” he said.
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