Alappuzha: The State Minority Commission on Tuesday rejected the explanation given by the superintendent of the Alappuzha Medical College on the death of a woman 35 days after giving birth at the hospital. The ruling was made by A A Rasheed, chairman of the Commission, during at sitting at the district panchayat hall here.
The Commission, which on April 29 took suo moto cognizance of the alleged medical negligence incident, had asked for explanations from the secretary of the health department, the directorate of higher education, state police chief, and the superintendent.
Observing that the explanation given by the hospital superintendent was unsatisfactory and not even prepared in the correct format, the Commission then asked for a detailed explanation in its next sitting.
Shibina (31), a native of Karoor, Ambalapuzha, died on April 28 after complications from an infection to the urinary tract sustained while giving birth to a baby girl on March 26. Her relatives had alleged medical negligence as the cause of Shibina's death and staged a protest at the hospital.
On May 2, the superintendent, Dr A Abdul Salam, submitted his resignation to the principal of the medical college. However, he was asked to continue until a replacement was found.
BJP's Alappuzha district president MV Gopakumar on Monday alleged that Shibina was made a victim by a powerful lobby that aims to destroy the medical college to help private hospitals in the region. He asked for a high-level probe and demanded the ouster of the hospital superintendent.
