The kin of the deceased patients staged a protest at the Madurai Government Rajaji Hospital alleging that ventilators failed due to a power cut, resulting in three deaths
Madurai: Three patients who were on ventilator support at the Madurai Government Rajaji Hospital in Tamil Nadu died on Tuesday (May 8), during a power failure.
Reports said that the kin of the deceased staged a protest outside the hospital demanding action against the hospital authorities.
Mallika, 55, Palaniammal, 60 and Raveendran, 52, had all been on ventilator and a thunderstorm allegedly affected the power supply to the ventilators.
Mallika had suffered an aneurysm and had been operated at another hospital before being transferred to the Rajaji Hospital. Palaniammal was admitted due to a head injury and Raveendran had suffered a serious brain injury in a fall.
Rajaji Hospital dean Vanitha Mani, Madurai city assistant police commissioner (ACP) Sasi Mohan, medical superintendent Raja and resident medical officer Sri Latha tried to speak with the protesting relatives.
Mani denied that the patients died due to power failure. “While it is true there was a power cut late in the evening, we had restored power immediately with the help of power back up,” she said adding, “The deceased patients have not died due to ventilator failure. They were critical when their relatives brought them here from other private hospitals.”
Unconfirmed reports have also come in stating that as many as five people died on similar lines at the same hospital.
Mani was also questioned about three people could have died just minutes after one another, to which she replied that such things happen when a hospital houses more than 2,000 in-patients and over 10,000 out-patients on a daily basis.
Although the kin alleged that the deaths were due to power failure, they have not filed a complaint with the police.
Back in 2015, Chennai witnessed severe flooding and as many as 18 patients who had been on ventilator support at the Madras Institute of Orthopaedics and Traumatology Hospital, passed away.
The deaths were the result of power failure and lack of oxygen cylinders at the hospital at the time.
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