Thursday 1 May 2014

Hubby seeks compensation for wife's coma

Chennai, May 1: A man in Kanyakumari is taking the state health department head on as his wife slipped into coma after a family planning operation. His writ petition filed before the Madurai bench of the Madras high court says that his wife, who was admitted to the Nagercoil government medical college hospital (NGMCH) for family planning, slipped into coma as the doctors provided nitrous oxide instead of oxygen for breathing. He asked the court to take action against the government hospital and the gas agency for negligence and also sought compensation to raise his two children. 

Petitioner S.Ganesan (45) Semponkarai village in Kanyakumari told the court that presently his wife Rukmani, who has been under treatment in the intensive care unit of the Madurai Rajaji government hospital since April 2011, needs specialised treatment at Vellore CMC hospital. “When Rukmani was admitted to the NGMCH in March 2011 for family planning, she was quite healthy. Doctors told me that she suffered severe blood loss and she had to be moved to emergency care. Within hours they informed me that Rukmani was unconscious and she would be all right within a week. But her condition did not improve. Sources in the hospital told me that nitrous oxide was given to Rukmani instead of oxygen,” said Ganesan, a tailor.  

Ganesan said he had no option but to take his wife to the government general hospital in Madurai for better treatment in April 2011 as the chief doctor at NGMCH told him that there were no medical experts and equipment to save his wife. “The chief doctor asked me to admit my wife in the Madurai hospital. She was weighing 65 kg before the family planning. Now she has gone down with 45 kg. Her parents are taking care of her, staying on the corridors of the government hospital as they couldn’t afford to rent a house there. I am unable to raise my children living all alone in Kanyakumari,” said Ganesan. So far, he has spent more than Rs 3 lakh on medical expenses. He said he had pledged Rukmani’s jewels and took loans for the expenses. He said he had approached the court with lots of hopes.