Mumbai: Body that triggered JJ violence still unclaimed

Doctors on strike

Forty-eight-year-old Zaidabi Sanaullha Shaikh, whose death sparked the recent doctors' strike in the city, is still lying stone cold at the JJ hospital mortuary, her body tagged Token No. 80.

Till Tuesday evening, no one had come to claim her body. Most of her family members are in jail right now for assaulting the doctors on duty on Saturday morning following her death. Zaidabi's family had attacked Dr Atish Parikh, a second year resident doctor, and Dr Shalmali Dharmadhikari, a junior doctor who had joined the hospital just 20 days ago.

(From left) Dr Shalmali Dharmadhikari, Dr Jalbaji More and Dr Atish Parikh, who were assaulted

Non-cooperative family
The treating doctors at JJ's surgical department said Zaidabi's family members had been non-cooperative right from day they had brought her in for a checkup in the OPD on May 15. She had complained of pain below the right ribs and abdomen, and had been vomiting, and the surgeons who examined her advised her family to get her admitted immediately, but the family refused.

Zaidabi returns
Dr Jalbaji More, lecturer, surgical unit, under whom both Dr Atish and Dr Shalmali work, told mid-day, "On May 17, Zaidabi again came to the OPD and this time agreed to get admitted in emergency. We told the family members not to give her any food. When we attached a nasal tube, the relatives started objecting and her daughter kept saying 'bhaijan will come and decide if the tube should be allowed or not'. We had to wait for him to come and give his consent. But, the relatives removed the tube a few hours later and even fed her, due to which the sonography test could not be conducted. We had already started her on saline and had given her some medicines," said Dr More.

"The next day she was taken for a sonography, which showed signs of carcinoma and also the thickening of the wall around the gall bladder, which was causing her unbearable pain," Dr More said.

Resident doctors of state-run JJ Hospital stage a protest during the strike, over the alleged assault of two of their colleagues following the death of a patient. Pic/PTI

Fed her against advice
"We again gave her the nasal tube in the night and advised the family not to feed her as she had to be prepared for another test, in which the abdomen should be empty in order to get clear images," Dr More said. In the wee hours of May 19, around 3 am, the family members again removed the nasal tube and fed Zaidabi. When the on-duty medical staff tried to stop them, the relatives started shouting.

"A few minutes later, Zaidabi complained of uneasiness and was gasping. We tried to give her an oxygen mask, but she kept removing it. We finally shifted her to the emergency ward. We kept the relatives apprised of the situation and she breathed her last around 6.30 am. The relatives at first came and sat with the doctors, and later assaulted them badly.

Doctors shaken
The incident has completely shaken up Dr Atish and Dr Shalmali. Dr Atish sustained a fracture on his face and injuries to the head, left shoulder, abdomen and right foot. The accused assaulted him with chairs and hands.

Dr Shalmali's hearing has been affected and she is unable to open her mouth completely as she has pain around her left ear.

Autopsy findings
Sources attached to the postmortem centre told mid-day that two forensic surgeons conducted the autopsy and the entire procedure was videographed. The surgeons found that the Zaidabi had an advanced stage of liver cancer. Also, the gall bladder walls were thickened, indicating that Zaidabi had multiple health issues. The samples from the affected areas have been sent for histopathology findings to ascertain the exact stage and ailments she was suffering from. The viscera samples have been sent to FSL, Kalina.

"We have given the certificate of preliminary cause of death to the police and the final death certificate will be based on the histopathology and viscera report," said a forensic surgeon.