Doctors knife got in dead man

ByaseL · 2009-08-07T09:57:46+00:00

The blade found in the ash Family find nail, screws and saw in cremated body By Patrick Jaramogi NewVision THERE was commotion at the Hindu Union crematorium ground in Lugogo, Kampala yesterday when the Indian community discovered a metal blade from a cremated body. The group threatened to sue the hospital where the man was operated on for negligence. The body of Daljit Singh, 43, was cremated on Wednesday night at a low-key ceremony attended by a couple of Hindus. A mourner, Singh Katongole, the NRM deputy treasurer, said Daljit died at Mulago Hospital four days after an operation. He was knocked by a hit-and-run taxi at Old Kampala on July 20. He was then admitted at a private hospital before being transferred to Mulago, said Katongole. Daljit was operated on the hips at Mulago on July 23, where he passed away on July 27, according to Katongole. We normally cremate immediately but we delayed because we had to get consent from the families in India, he said. The postmortem report showed that Daljit died at 6:00pm of acute respiratory complications and septic shock. This implies that he had a lot of bacteria in his blood, according to a doctor. This morning when we came to remove the remains to throw into the lake as per our tradition, we discovered two screws, one long nail and a sharp surgical blade that we believe was left in the body by the doctors, Katongole told mourners, the Police and journalists. The two screws and long nails were used to join the shattered bones at the hips. The broken sharp blade with jig-saws, believed to be a surgical blade used by surgeons, was about three inches long. It is our belief that Daljit died due to negligence by the doctors. As the Indian community, we are going to sue Mulago hospital and its doctors for negligence leading to death, he vowed. Katongole said there was no way the objects could have been at the venue of the cremation because the place was thoroughly cleaned. We make sure the spot is thoroughly clean and we use ghee, not petrol, for burning the body. The table has to be extremely clean from any impurities. Katongole contacted the health state minister, James Kakooza, who rushed to the scene and promised to investigate. Kakooza said: We shall make sure we get the truth and whoever is liable will be prosecuted. However, Dr. Titus Beyeza, the head of the orthopedic department, ruled out foul play. We cant be sure whether the blade was not inserted by unknown people. We shall trace our records and find out if he was admitted to Mulago and who worked on him. Surgical blades are sterilised before any operation and cannot cause infection. Infection can be caused due to underlying immune compromising diseases like diabetes and AIDS. Beyeza, however, said if evidence is adduced against the surgeons, they will face disciplinary measures. We normally take X-rays after every operation and if we ascertain that the blade was left in the body, then that proves negligence. The Jinja Road Police chief, Joel Aguma, said a general enquiry file had been opened. This case needs analysis from experts. We cant point fingers now but we shall charge whoever is responsible with criminal negligence, he said. Daljit, a carpenter, had lived in Uganda for seven years. His family is in Punjab, India where he hails from. He was working with an Indian construction firm in Kampala.

Thread starter ByaseL
Start date Aug 7, 2009

ByaseL

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Doctors knife got in dead man

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Doctors knife got in dead man