Two senior doctors in Malaysia were found guilty of medical negligence after leaving a critically bleeding patient in the care of unregistered nurses. One of them reportedly left to “have a drink”.
The 36-year-old female patient, Punita, reportedly died from postpartum haemorrhage (PPH) in Jan 2019 after giving birth at Shan Maternity and Birthing Centre, according to the New Straits Times (NST).
Her family subsequently sued Dr M. Shanmugam — the clinic owner — Dr A. Ravi, and three nurses — for medical negligence.
According to court reports, Punita was delivering her second child when she started bleeding heavily, following the removal of her placenta.
Despite Punita’s condition at the time, Dr Ravi allegedly left the clinic to get a drink. Dr Shanmugam was also seen leaving the delivery room, although it’s unclear if he joined Dr Ravi.
Punita was then left with three nurses who were unregistered with the health ministry. Despite lacking proper qualifications, the nurses were instructed to monitor her.
Source: The Asia Parent, For illustrative purposes only.
Punita’s mother later came into the delivery room and found her daughter bleeding profusely with nurses trying to stop the haemorrhage using cotton.
Both doctors, who had over 60 years of experience in obstetrics and 8,500 deliveries, were nowhere to be seen at the moment.
As tensions rose, Punita was moved to Tengku Ampuan Rahimah Hospital (HTAR) in Klang.
Doctors there said she was in critical condition upon arrival, with significant blood loss and disseminated intravascular coagulation.
Despite undergoing emergency surgery and transfusions, Punita succumbed to her heavy bleeding.
Judge Norliza Othman, in her ruling, stated that the clinic in question lacked drugs to control bleeding after childbirth and proper equipment to handle postpartum complications.
The court blamed the doctors for not acting swiftly, which included the patient’s delayed transfer to a hospital better equipped to handle such an emergency.
“The collective negligence of the defendants directly contributed to the deceased’s severe injuries, leading to her death,” she said in her grounds of judgment, published on Thursday (9 Jan).
Source: NST
The two doctors were further condemned for their “reckless disregard” for the deceased’s condition.
Judge Norliza remarked that the death could have been prevented if both doctors had promptly sent the patient to HTAR and closely monitored her condition, instead of leaving her in the care of nurses after Dr Ravi went out for a drink.
“This level of neglect is inexcusable and directly contributed to the untimely death of a healthy mother,” she added.
Punita’s family was eventually awarded RM5,993,936 (S$1,821,558) in damages by the court.
This includes:
Also read: Woman in China pregnant with 9 foetuses reduces 7 for safety but loses the remaining 2
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Featured image adapted from The Asia Parent and NST. Images are for illustration purposes only.
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