Puttur, May 23: A sitting for receiving public petitions was conducted at Panaje primary health center, by team of experts appointed by the health department to look into the death of Poovakka Rai (69) from Bollimbala in Panaje village in the taluk.
The team was shocked to notice strange things. It came to light that the declaration forms giving consent for conducting angioplasty procedure on Poovakka Rai, post which she was discharged but died after a few days, were found to have been signed by Poovakka’s husband, the late Kittanna Rai. But Poovakka’s husband had expired nine months ago, and it is apparent that the sign was fake.
Many people had been chosen for further procedures related to heart-related ailments identified during the check-up camp under Vajpayee Arogyashree Health Scheme organized at Panaje primary health centre by doctors from a private hospital in Mangaluru.
Poovakka’s children said they learnt about the above fake signature after members raised this topic at the meeting of district level experts committee held recently at Mangaluru. They questioned the committee as to how could their father, who was not alive at the time, come and sign the forms. They also expressed their deep anguish at the undue delay in the submission of post-mortem report in case of their mother.
A person named Hasainar said that during the above check-up camp, the doctors had said that his wife, Rukhiya, was suffering from heart problems. After his wife was taken to Mangaluru, surgery procedure was carried on him instead of his wife and the hospital staff had taken his family’s ration card, he said. He also added that he was forced to go to the hospital as he was told that his family will not get any ration unless they undergo treatment.
Another person, Mammunhi, said that his daughter, Haseena, who has since died, was healthy before she was identified with health problem and taken to hospital.
Another woman, Sundari said that a portion of the needle had remained inside her hand after the treatment, due to which she has not been able to work since then. The hospital has recovered Rs 1,700 in the guise of cost of medicines. I demand justice, said Sundari, who also underwent angioplasty procedure at Mangaluru.
Kalyani Rai said that the hospital had demanded to pay Rs 15,000 to for her husband’s treatment.
Few who were treated said that their health was checked and they were treated without taking any consent of family members.
Some said that money was demand, while some others said they were treated without conducting their health check-up.
The committee took the written statements from the aggrieved who were chosen during the health check-up camp and treated at Mangaluru. It also held discussions with district health officer and taluk health officer.
President of the committee, Dr Girish, cardiologist, Rangaraj Ramalinga, deputy director, Dr S R B Naik, Dr Shivakumara Swamy, Dr H S Prasad, Dr Kolarandamath, people’s representative, A Hemanath Shetty, former president of Puttur block Congress, Shahul Hameed, Raviprasad, were present among others.
