Health Minister Veena George ordered the suspension of two doctors heading the Nephrology and Urology departments at Government Medical College, Thiruvananthapuram, pending enquiry, following the death of a chronic kidney disease patient at the medical college hospital (MCH), post renal transplant, on Monday.
The incident had triggered wild speculation that it was the lack of coordination between these departments and the delay in performing surgery after receiving the organ that contributed to the patient’s death.
The decision to pin the responsibility on department heads and conduct a detailed enquiry to ascertain the cause of death and if any external factors could have contributed to it was taken following a preliminary report by Additional Chief Secretary (Health) Asha Thomas. There seemed to have been some miscommunication and lack of coordination at various levels in the run-up to the surgery, Ms. George told the media.
