Pregnant mother died due to low quality drugs

2 March 2012 01:00 am - 28 - {{hitsCtrl.values.hits}}

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The life of a woman who died after delivering a baby at the De Soysa Maternity Hospital (DMH) Colombo would have been saved if quality drugs were available at the hospital, said the gynecologist who had performed a Cesarean operation on the patient, who was giving evidence before the City Coroner’s court.

This was stated by the consultant obstetrician and gynecologist (VOG) Anura S. Ruwanpathirana, of Ward 16 of the DMH during the inquest before City Coroner Edward Ahangama into the death of 27 years old R. Madushani Nisansala of Horogolla, Nittambuwa who died after a Caesarian was performed on her prior to childbirth.

C.J Rajaguru, the A JMO of the National Hospital, Colombo, in his autopsy report had ruled that the death was due to multi-organ failure due to a septic and infected abdomen and pelvis.

Dr Shirene Nanayakkarain in her evidence said that she was a MRCOG degree holder and that the patient did not have any complications at the time that she was admitted to hospital. However the doctors had performed a Caesarean operation on the patient due to a delayed delivery of the baby.

She said the patient had developed a fever a day after the Caesarean operation was performed and antibiotics had been prescribed by the chief house officer. However as no improvement of the patient’s condition was observed, witness had been called upon to examine the patient and she had discovered an abscess or hematoma on the patient’s abdomen and recommended laparoscopic surgery but it had not been carried out for a considerable period of time.

She said during that time the patient was kept on antibiotics. On August 6, the patient had been discharged from hospital in view of the fact that the fever had abated. However on August 7 the patient had again been admitted to the ward with high fever.

The husband in his evidence said that he had married the deceased after a love affair that he had had with her for eleven years. He said he was shocked by the death of his wife on August 11, 2011.

He said that as no improvement of the condition of the patient was observed after the Caesarian operation he had got an appointment with Dr Ruwanpathirana on August10 after paying Rs 1080 to the Central Hospital to consult the doctor as no proper treatment had been given to his wife.

He said hat even though the registrar who examined his wife had recommended a laparoscopic operation on her it had not been done until August 10 after he had consulted the doctor. Witness said the doctors had said that his wife was had an impending septicaemia.

Dr. Ruwanpathirana, in his evidence, said that the husband of the deceased had consulted him on August 10 and a laparoscopic operation had been performed on the patient afterwards. He said Dr .Wasantha Abeydeera had examined the patient and no complications in the renal or cardiac systems had been detected.

He said the operation had been performed on August 10, 2011and the patient had been given antibiotics menopenum and augumentin for the infections.
However the patent could not be cured due to low quality drugs. He said if good antibiotics quality had been available her life could have been saved. (T. Farook Thajudeen)

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Comments - 28

sunanda Friday, 02 March 2012 07:51 AM

Dr. should have known the drugs is inferior quality. Why didnot he do something about it. Why was the laproscopy was delayed until the Dr was channeled in a private clinic. These Drs should be cursed.

sanjaya Saturday, 03 March 2012 05:44 AM

I have already commented. I do not contest the judgement of doctors who have commented here about the treatment of abscess. I know that I was given injections for abscess after my appendics was removed and I got better. That was in a private hospital. It is fashionable to insult doctors. Is a registrar superior to the consultant. If then the consultant is clearly at fault for delaying treatment. What perplexes me is that there no mention of the abscess when the laproscopy was done. Where had that gone? Shall we all hold back our two cents worth till a proper inquiry is held.

IBNUABOO Friday, 02 March 2012 01:26 PM

this very sad a nd shock news because due to the non availabilty of anti biotic drugs a mother lost his life.in every hospital anti biotic drugs are any time available but this hospital is functioning without the same .shame.

Naman Friday, 02 March 2012 12:33 PM

This case clearly shows that post-operative patients do need careful follow up by both junior and senior surgeons /Obstetricians. This mother would be living today had the Surgeon operated on her to find the cause of sepsis and drain the abscess and wash out the peritoneal cavity. Antibiotics will only work after the clean up.
It is always the POOR and the weakest in the society will carry the burden of ill-treatment.

Sunanda Welgama Friday, 02 March 2012 11:55 AM

I'm doctor and I know how to treat abscesses.
They have to be drained surgically asap. No antibiotic will reach the abscess to improve the infection.

it's a simple principal in medicine.

Apparently this doctor has delayed doing the surgical drainage and now blaming it on antibiotics.

It's true the medicines in Sl are third grade ones imported mainly from India. That's another issue. But this apparently is a pure case of negligence.

Leel Wickremarachchi Friday, 02 March 2012 10:53 AM

This is a clear case of professional negligence. If a patient gets fever after a surgery any doctor would know that there could have been a cross infection. In that case the Consultant doctor who performed the surgery should have a kept a close watch on the patient. That was the root cause. The poor quality drug is only a red herring. As some one said that doctor is fit to be a politician.

This is a case of professional negilgence laced with greed for money. Why did the doctor wait until he was channel consulted to perform the follow-up surgery? If the doctor had known about the poor quality of the drugs why did not he ask the patient to buy the better qualty drugs outside? The life is a life whether one is poor or rich.

Calistus Jayatilleke Friday, 02 March 2012 09:51 AM

We have had cases of injection vials containing pieces of glass and other matter, imported from cheap Indian manufacturers but nothing had been done and we still continue to import from them due to political reasons and also financial rewards to corrupt officials. So, one cannot expect anything better from those in charge.

solomon Friday, 02 March 2012 09:57 AM

Due to over use Augmentin has no effect on some patients. In that case you cannot blame the Dr.

Iron_Lion_Zion Friday, 02 March 2012 09:49 AM

The 'Human' element in Doctors , Nurses and other caregivers have diminished . Patients have been rendered in to a 'job' to be taken care of ,without responsibility or accountability on the Doctor's part. Therefore it's easy to point the finger at 'low quality medecine'. Wonder what happened to 'Conscience' ???

Chaminda h Friday, 02 March 2012 09:38 AM

Well people who writes here don't know there is a government circular if a drug is available in the hospital doctor can't ask the patient s relative to bring from outside
Although for example when meropenam lower grade Indian drug is available in the hospital you have to give to the patient
Without ordering original drug from outside pharmacy
But there are some brave consultants who ask the original drugs to be brought from pharmacy but some will label them that they get money from those drug agencies it s very complicated

Chaminda h Friday, 02 March 2012 09:16 AM

Well meropenam is a expensive intravenous drug who's wo cost about rs 10000 per vial so what hospital is having is not the original drug but Indian drug augmenting is also original brand bit what is having in hospital is Indian drug
Can you expect a Mercedes Benz to be the same as maruti
People shout the drugs should be prescribed in generics
Any way it's a pity to have a maternal death

sanjaya Friday, 02 March 2012 09:02 AM

Going by what is reported, we are told the said laproscopy examination when done, did not detect any problem. Why did the registrar who recommneded the laproscopy did not do it? I once had an abscess after my appendics was removed and they did a scan. found a small abscess and gave me injections. it worked. I am not trying to white wash the consultant if he is to blame. May be he should have given a different medicine. But why is this fuss about laproscopy which in the end found nothing inside.

nnami Friday, 02 March 2012 08:33 AM

It is the LOW quality of our greedy Doctors, simple as that

roger Friday, 02 March 2012 08:26 AM

This doctor is good to be a politician ! If drugs were inferior the other patients (in hundreds) too should die or become gravely ill. But it is not the case. This is due to utter negligence

sen Friday, 02 March 2012 01:51 AM

low qality drugs...?

doctor who Friday, 02 March 2012 07:21 AM

Well if the patient has gone in to septicaemia , there is 50% chance for her to die . It is bad for the ward doctors not to detect it early . We could have prevented this death if they have detected it early . Once septicaemia develops , it is very difficult to control with any antibiotic
.

C P SILVA Friday, 02 March 2012 07:18 AM

Low quality drugs ?? No. Augmentin brand is the original of AMOXI-CLAV. How it happend?

citizen1 Friday, 02 March 2012 07:28 AM

meaning made in china or india.

Human Friday, 02 March 2012 07:12 AM

Well this can be many causes which they need to find out. Unclean operating environment, drug resistance due to prior over usage. So they should check this out properly.

Kusun Dhamawar Friday, 02 March 2012 07:23 AM

I thing this death happens due doctors negligence and their using low quality drugs as scapegoat!!l.Doctors these days going after money and they don,t care anything else.

nadun Friday, 02 March 2012 06:56 AM

Why this doctor had given the said drug knowing those were in poor quality. Did the doctor informed/complained the director of the hospital regarding the quality of drugs?

Lanka Friday, 02 March 2012 07:06 AM

The administration is being side tracked and not sure of their priorities.This is not the time to build more high rises Hotels. There are more critical issues. Also one of our main problem is as a country we do not have strict Law and Order in place.

Dinesh Friday, 02 March 2012 05:44 AM

Will this Doctor come up withe same excuse if it happens to be in a Private Hospital ???????? Here they blame the drugs what an idiot

chulan Friday, 02 March 2012 05:19 AM

Every thing is performed on money , Drug dealers are provide low quality and out dated drugs changing the packing which is common in SL. How many children died from low quality injections . what happened to the inquires/commissions that perused these issues( no punishments). Since VIPs get profit sharing everything go under the carpet when tension settled. Even the Dr,s are doing a business, what they are worry is how many patient they see for a day and not how many they can cure. What to do we have to live with this but dirty money which is earn like this will not do any good one day those families will suffer.

Just Another Citizen Friday, 02 March 2012 04:59 AM

In other countries, the hospital would have been sued for millions & the people responsible held for manslaughter. Sadly though, it will never happen here. Sad state of affairs for a country we call home.

Cyrus Mathiasz Friday, 02 March 2012 04:59 AM

Where is the pharmaceutical companies that bring down high quality drugs? who recommended the inferior quality drugs? where is the Minister of health? is he sleeping. Get the act straight before more deaths occur. Private practice is to be blamed, doctors are responsible for the patients life.

yuga Friday, 02 March 2012 04:53 AM

This is a clear case of neglegence, I don't think it has anything to do with the drug quality. Some thing should have been done at the time the registrar recomended laparoscopy. people dont die of septicaemia the next day after surgery unless there has been an established advanced infection that is gone too far before the surgey otherwise the surgery should make the patient better.
If the consultant did a propper ward round he should have been able to detect this earlier. In Sri lanka the most important part of the surgical care which is the post operative care is left to the most inexperienced junior doctors. In my opinion anybody once trained can operate but to give a good postoperative care you need an experienced person to pickup problems early. That should be the role of a consultant, It appears to me that this consultant has failed misserably in his duty of care.

Ari Friday, 02 March 2012 01:40 AM

Who is responsible for this dreadful crime of negligence. If the drugs were of inferior quality was this not know prior to it being administered. If so who is responsible for purchasing this inferior drug. Its always the poor people who have to suffer in silence. What a tragedy, the child will never see its mother. The people responsible will have to live with this guilt for the rest of their lives.

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Pregnant mother died due to low quality drugs

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