Kerala: Medical board to probe toddler's death in hospital

Kannur (Kerala), Jul 12 (PTI) Police will constitute a medical board as part of the investigation into the death of a one-and-a-half-year-old boy after he was administered anaesthesia for suturing a lip injury at a private hospital in Payyannur, officials said on Sunday. An investigation led by the Payyannur Deputy Superintendent of Police decided to constitute a medical board comprising expert doctors to ascertain whether the death was caused by any lapse in the administration of anaesthesia. The child, Devansh Shouria of Eramam, sustained a lip injury while playing on July 5. He was taken to a private hospital in Payyannur, where doctors advised suturing the wound under anaesthesia. According to the complaint lodged by the family, the child became unconscious after the anaesthesia was administered and was shifted to another hospital in Kannur, where he later died. Following the complaint, police registered a case against anaesthetist Dr Anjali Poduval. On Saturday, the child's family staged a protest in front of the hospital with his body, demanding that all doctors involved in his treatment be booked. Police held discussions with the relatives and assured them of a fair investigation. Officials at the Payyannur police station said the medical board would examine the postmortem report, records relating to the administration of anaesthesia, the treatment provided and the child's medical history to determine whether any medical negligence led to the death. They said steps had already been initiated to constitute the medical board and the process would be completed soon. Following the incident, the hospital denied allegations of medical negligence, claiming that the child suffered a cardiac arrest after being administered anaesthesia and was immediately shifted to ventilator support. PTI TBA TBA KH