A case of death due to a alleged medication error has been reported from Subarnapur District Headquarters Hospital (DHH) in Odisha. The incident occurred on Friday, after the woman’s condition allegedly worsened following the administration of an injection.
The deceased has been identified as Anupama Patel, a resident of Janhapank area in Boudh district.
Details Of The Case:
Anupama was admitted to the hospital after falling ill on Friday. However, her condition rapidly deteriorated during the evening hours, ultimately leading to her death. Following this, her family members accused the hospital staff, particularly the doctor, of making a medication error and the attending nurses of negligence.
According to sources, tensions flared on Friday night when the family raised the allegations. To maintain law and order, two platoons of police forces were deployed at the hospital.
Accusations Levelled By The Deceased Patient’s Family:
Laxmidhar Swain, a relative of Anupama, expressed his frustration, saying, “We admitted her to the hospital around noon on Friday. She was initially stable and spoke to us on the phone around 9 pm. However, just half an hour later, her attendant called, saying that she was in critical condition.”
He added, “Even if the doctor prescribed the correct medication, negligence occurred on the part of the nurses. When the attendant noticed a change in her body colour and called the nurses multiple times, they did not respond. They claimed these reactions were normal after the injection was administered. She passed away shortly after.”
What Hospital Authorities Say Over The Allegation:
Durgadatta Das, Medical Officer at Subarnapur DHH, responded to the allegations saying, “I arrived at the hospital after receiving information about the patient’s critical condition. By the time I reached, the patient was unresponsive while resuscitation was underway. We took every possible step to save her, including conducting Cardiopulmonary Resuscitation (CPR), but unfortunately, we could not save her. We are deeply sorry for the patient's death.”
He further explained, “The injections administered to the patient are supplied by the Odisha government and are claimed to be safe. Other patients with similar conditions who received the same injection are stable. Therefore, we cannot conclusively say that the cause of death was the injection administered.”