SRI LANKA: Death of a one-year-old child at the hands of an unqualified doctor 

SRI LANKA: Prescribing of Western medicines by Ayurvedic practitioner; over prescribing of medicines; medical neglect
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Dear friends,

The Asian Human Rights Commission (AHRC) has received disturbing information regarding the death of a one-year-old child after an Ayurvedic practitioner, posing as a qualified medical doctor, prescribed medicines three times the amount that a child of that age should have. The practitioner, who we cannot name, attended to the sick child on three occasions. Each time he prescribed medicines, the child’s health did not improve. After the third visit, and with the child’s condition worsening, the child’s parents took her to a qualified doctor. It was only then that they learnt that the child had been prescribed three times the level of Paracetamol than she should have. The child was rushed to Negombo hospital, before being transferred to Lady Ridgeway Children’s Hospital several days later, where she died. It was only after their child’s death that the parents learnt that the original practitioner was not a qualified doctor and therefore should not have been prescribing Western medicines.

Given the severity of this case, we ask that you intervene. Please write to the relevant authorities provided below and voice your serious concern regarding the negligence involved in this case. Please ask that an impartial and thorough investigation be conducted into this case, including a full inquiry into the conduct of the Ayurvedic practitioner. If he is found negligent in his duties, then the case must be taken before a court of law. An investigation must also be carried out into the conduct of doctors at Negombo Hospital so as to determine if they failed to transfer the child to better facilities when it was required.  Finally, adequate reparation should be provided to the child’s parents.

Urgent Appeals Desk
Asian Human Rights Commission (AHRC)
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DETAILED INFORMATION:

Name of victim: M.A. Vishmi Navodya Appuhamy, aged 1 year and 11 months; previous resident of 35/2 Thalahena, Negombo.
Alleged perpetrator: An Ayurvedic practitioner posing as a qualified medical professional at a children’s private clinic at Duwa Junction, Negombo.
Date of incident: 8 May 2005 and onwards

Case details (according to victim’s grandfather):

On 8 May 2005, M.A. Vishmi Navodya Appuhamy was suffering from fever and flu. She was taken to the Ayurvedic practitioner at the Children’s Clinic situated at the Duwa Junction, Negombo. The practitioner examined the young child and diagnosed her with suffering from common fever and flu and prescribed some tablets to be obtained from the pharmacy.

When the child’s health did not improve after some days and having taken the tablets, the child was taken back to the practitioner. There he prescribed several more tablets for her to take.

On the morning of 10 May 2005, the child was in a drowsy state, so was taken once more to the practitioner. He examined her and said that her weakness was due to a lack of food. He instructed her parents to continue with the same medicines, as well as to give the child some Jeevani (given for dehydration) and some packets of liquid. He also instructed the parents to obtain another kind of medicine from the pharmacy. Accordingly, this medicine was obtained.

When the child’s health deteriorated even further, she was taken to Dr. S. R. Fernando (who works at the Negombo Base Hospital) around 6.30pm on that same night (May 10). This doctor examined the child as well as the prescribed medicines and inquired from the parents whether they had given the medicine exactly as instructed. Upon hearing this information, the doctor explained that the wrong dosage had been prescribed and that the child had taken three times as much medicine as a child of her age should have. As this dosage had caused the child’s liver to swell, he immediately admitted the child to Negombo Base Hospital.

In the meantime, the child’s family had approached the practitioner demanding to know why he had prescribed three times the amount of medicines that he should have. The practitioner however, denied that he had given an overdose and maintained that his prescription was correct.

At 12 noon on May 11, the child was transferred to the Intensive Care Unit at Negombo hospital. She was placed on a Saline drip and oxygen. Fearful of the seriousness of the child’s health, her parents approached the doctor in charge of the ward and pleaded him to give them permission to take the child to the Children’s Hospital in Colombo. He however, said there was no need to do this as they had cured patients in worse conditions and therefore there was no need to take the child to Colombo in the night.

By late that day (May 11) however, the child’s situation had not improved. Nurses in the ward however, again assured the family that the child would be fine. By 9pm however, the child was in a critical condition and was taken to the Lady Ridgeway Children’s Hospital in Colombo. At approximately 11pm, the child died.

The doctor on duty at the time informed the family that the child had died from an overdose of Paracetamol, which had resulted in the child’s liver being poisoned and haemorrhaging of the brain. The doctor also said if the child was admitted to the Lady Ridgeway Hospital earlier, there was a good chance that the child’s life might have been saved.

The post mortem, conducted the next morning, revealed that death was due to liver failure and haemorrhaging of the brain. The coroner also informed the family that a forensic examination would be carried out to find out the reason for the liver failure.

 

 

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