A 13-year-old student of St. Peter’s College, Bambalapitiya, is among the latest cases of dengue-fever fatalities.
Mayantha Jayesekera was admitted with dengue fever to a private hospital in Wattala, and transferred to the intensive care unit of the National Hospital, Colombo, when his condition worsened. The grade eight student died on June 27, despite a valiant effort by a team of specialists to save his life.
The boy’s parents say the private hospital is guilty of medical negligence. A hospital spokesperson denied the charge, and said the hospital was prepared to hold an inquiry.
According to Pearl Jayasekera, the boy’s mother, the nurses at the hospital appeared to be “horribly inexperienced”.
“I had to repeatedly remind the nurses to replace the saline whenever the drip went dry,” she told the Sunday Times. “It is their job to monitor the patient, but they were not doing that. It was a horrible experience, my three-day vigil with my gravely ill son.”
Mrs. Jayasekera said she was familiar with the dengue virus, having sat at the bedside of her elder son, who spent nine days in April at a different private hospital, being treated for the same flu.
“It is through this experience that I became familiar with the pattern of treating a dengue patient, and with the medication used. I started to worry when I noticed that none of this was happening in my younger son’s case.”
Speaking on behalf of the private hospital, Dr. Aruna Rabel told the Sunday Times that the hospital staff shared the parent’s grief, but denied irresponsibility on the part of the medical staff.
“The patient was admitted to our emergency treatment unit (ETU) on June 23,” the doctor said. “He had complicated symptoms, such as diarrhoea and severe back pains. The specialists began treating him for a suspected bacteria infection.
“Three days later the patient was confirmed as having contracted the dengue virus, but by then his kidneys had severely deteriorated, and his condition had worsened.”
According to Dr. Rabel, the patient had contracted the most serious form of the dengue virus, which directly affected the kidneys. “Survival in such cases is near zero,” he said.
The doctor said the hospital was prepared to hold an inquiry at any level, if the parents wish.
“There is nothing to hide, and if any of the medical staff is found to have acted in an irresponsible manner, he or she will be dealt with accordingly,” Dr. Rabel said.
“Over the past two months, this hospital has looked after a total of 126 patients with dengue-related problems. Forty-four of them had to be treated in the intensive care unit (ICU ). They all recovered, and were released from the hospital. Mayantha Jayesekera was the only fatality we have had in this period. We are all saddened by his death.” |
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