Death on the hospital floor – family mulling negligence suit

 

The late Ehambaram Kutti, 74, during better times and the viral video of him struggling in the hospital ward.

SUNGAI PETANI: The family of a man who was found dead on the floor of a hospital here on Monday is demanding clearer answers over the circumstances surrounding his passing, following “sweeping statements” made by the authorities.

Former pujari (Hindu temple priest) Ehambaram Kutti, 74, of Gurun, who was admitted to a category four Covid-19 ward at the old Sungai Petani Hospital was found dead on Merdeka eve. There are claims that he was not attended to after being seen crouching on the floor for help.

His family lawyer Sujatha Subramanian said a claim by the health ministry that he had died as a result of the severe effects of Covid-19 was unlikely, as they were told he died due to a “trauma to the head”.

Sujatha said this was conveyed to the family following a post-mortem at the Alor Setar Hospital yesterday.

“When the family requested for a post-mortem, they were told that ‘he had died due to Covid-19’ and that a post-mortem was not necessary. We were later told that a police report had to be made in such circumstances, which the family then did.

“We have been told that a full post-mortem report would be ready in three months’ time,” she told FMT.

Sujatha said based on videos of the incident, it appeared Ehambaram’s death was caused by negligence on the part of the medical staff who were not there to attend to patient issues, especially at a high-risk ward.

She said the family rejected the explanation by the hospital that he was “frequently” looked after.

“If a staff member was around, they could have carried him up and he could have been alive. We will now await the post-mortem report and will consider a negligence suit against the hospital,” she said.

Ehambaram’s death has been in the national spotlight recently, following a series of videos showing him trying to stand up by holding on to the bed stand of another patient. The video then abruptly cuts to the man lying on the floor motionless, with his urine bag on one side.

An accompanying message by the complainant claimed that another patient had alerted a nurse on duty, only to be told to “check whether he was alive or not”. A message also read that the man collapsed and lay there for 40 minutes and no one had come to help. The man was declared dead later.

The Kedah health department, in a statement, declared his death to be from “severe Covid-19 pneumonia”. It said it attended to the patient regularly and that he was uncomfortable with an oxygen mask being put on him.

Without naming Ehambaram, it said the man had also had a history of chronic illnesses and that it had explained the patient’s “deteriorating situation” and prognosis to the family, which was “well-accepted”. - FMT