UNFORTUNATE DEATH OF A CHILD AT MAHIYANGANA

A child stung by wasps dies due to the negligence of a lady doctor as her phone call had been more important than the life of the child

It is revealed that Priyankara Pradeep, a three year old child who had been stung by wasps had died due to the negligence of a lady doctor in Mahiyangana hospital. Nethmi and Pradeep who had been the children of a labourer residing in Dikyaya Katukele area in Mahiyangana had been stung by wasps.
They had been attacked unexpectedly while they have been playing and their mother with the help of one of her brothers had admitted the children to Mahiyangana hospital.
Even though the doctor at the OPD had done necessary arrangements quickly, the lady doctor in charge of the ward had been more interested in her phone call and that had led to the unfortunate death of the three year old Priyankara Pradeep.
The following is an interview given by the mother of the child:
“We had lunch at around 1.30 in the afternoon. My brother too was at home. He had come home from Colombo. My husband was at work. Children played in the garden and I saw that my daughter was covered with wasps and she was crying out loud. My brother carried her quickly and ran towards the river to wash her. My son ran after my brother crying. He was telling my brother to save his sister. I too ran after them to save them. At that time, both my son and I were stung by wasps. We were taken to the hospital by a three wheeler. We were stung by wasps at around 2 o’clock but we were taken so fast that we were there by 2.25PM. The doctor at the OPD was very quick and he prescribed medicine and told me “Amma, don’t be scared, take the children to the ward number 6 and they will be given four injections.” I was asked to take the injections from the ward 3.
There was a lady doctor in that ward… She came to visit the patients… Even though she checked where the wasps had stung but she didn’t give any medicine. She said that wasps had stung fifteen places and since the children are crying she asked me to wait a bit. She walked aside and she was on a Tel /call… Children cried all along. I begged and asked “Miss, can you please look?” She got angry and asked me: “Are you blind, how you dare call me a miss. If you want to talk to misses go inside.”
When I apologized she gave some tablets to my children but she didn’t give the injections as the previous doctor prescribed… I had to beg for a bed to keep my children. Then some time later, the elder felt a bit better. She drank some water but the younger was very weak. Since he didn’t look better, I went and pleaded her again.
She was furious at me and told me “Keep him on that bed till I come” Then she came with the pressure monitor and then said that she forgot the stethoscope and went back to bring it. But she didn’t return.
She was again on a call and was telling that “Its only 3 O’clock and I didn’t even have lunch”. She was laughing loud and didn’t like the sight of me.
She delayed to see my children. Then, Oh Lord, I felt the last breath of my son. I screamed and called the doctor. Then she came running.
She was too late. She started to give oxygen. I saw that the child was dead. In between that she ordered the nurses to give injections to my daughter. They didn’t allow me anywhere close by. We were called at around 6 o’clock and they then only gave the injection to my daughter.
When I went near my son, I saw that he was conscious… but my husband has been told that our son has passed away.
If she had given the injection on time, my son will be alive today. She was conscious only about the call. I reported it to the head of the doctors and then she said that she was talking to another doctor about some problem. But I knew that she wasn’t talking to a doctor. The life that would have been saved was destroyed by her.”