It was business as usual at the Government Medical College Hospital (MCH), Thiruvananthapuram, on Wednesday, where high drama had been prevailing since the past few days following the death of a renal transplant recipient post surgery on Monday. The death had been accompanied by allegations of negligence, including a “delay” in initiating the surgery.
On Wednesday, the Kerala Government Medical College Teachers’ Association (KGMCTA), staging a protest on the MCH premises, condemned Health Minister Veena George for playing to the gallery and suspending two senior doctors even before an inquiry had been conducted to ascertain if indeed there had been any negligence in the manner in which the renal transplant had been coordinated.
The government’s “knee-jerk” reaction had only served to demoralise the fraternity. They said that with no tangible evidence pointing to any protocol violation or medical negligence, the only failing that the government could point to now was that “outsiders” (ambulance drivers) had carried the ice box containing the organ to the theatre.
