HASHINI’S UNFORTUNATE DEATH

Death of a blossoming flower bud caused by obstructing the throat by a stopper of a mega soft drink bottle due to sheer negligence of elders

It is reported from Dippitiya area in Ratnapura that a one year old baby girl had died the day before her 1st birthday when she had died of suffocation when a stopper of a mega soft drink bottle had got stuck in her throat.
Hashini Charmini was the only child of her young parents who was to celebrate her 1st birthday. She was looked after by her grandmother. Her birthday was on the 8th of this month. A small party was organised to celebrate the occasion. The mother’s relatives arrived on the previous day. The duties entrusted to the child’s grandmother, was exclusively to look after the child. The father of the child had left home on that fatal morning on his business work.
When the grandmother saw the babies clothes had got wet she wanted to change her clothes. She was at that time lying in discomfort on the bed, and thought that some object was stuck in her throat which had prevented her from breathing. This matter was brought to the notice of the child’s mother by the grandmother. She had immediately by pleading to a passing vehicle had brought her to the OPD at the Ratnapura Hospital.
The Doctors had made a valiant effort to take out the stopper stuck in the throat. The valiant efforts had failed she was taken to the Intensive care unit of the hospital to make a final attempt to save her life to take the object. (Stopper).In the process the stopper had fallen into her lungs and the child had died owing to suffocation.
It is presumed that the smell of the stopper may have prompted the child to take it into her mouth which may had been accidently swallowed by her. If more caution,care and attention was made by the elders this unfortunate death could have been prevented.