Chembur teen's family alleges negligence by hospital, but doctors claim delay in timely treatment led to girl's death
Rutuja More with her family
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Just two weeks after the Centre announced its grand plans to make the country malaria-free, a 13-year-old student from Chembur became the first victim of the disease from Mumbai this monsoon. This is the fourth malaria death recorded in the city this year.
Rutuja Milin More succumbed to malaria at Sion Hospital last night. Her death has led to a blame game between the doctors and the family. While the relatives have blamed Maa Hospital in Chembur, where she was initially taken for treatment, doctors alleged that the family only admitted her when her condition had deteriorated.
According to relatives, More was suffering from fever for the last two days and was on medication. Yesterday, her condition worsened and she was rushed to the BMC-run Maa Hospital in Chembur at around 7 pm. But, she started vomiting blood at the hospital. Considering the severity of her condition, she was referred to Sion Hospital where she died at 8.30 pm. More is survived by her parents and brother.
Family members, however, alleged that she died due to the negligence at Maa Hospital. "She was fine when she was brought to the hospital. As soon as she was given saline, she started vomiting blood. We will file a police complaint against the hospital," said Vivek More, the deceased's cousin.
Victim Rutuja Milin More
When contacted, Dr Utkala Bagul, a doctor at Maa Hospital, refuted the allegations. "Her blood reports showed that she was suffering from malaria. When she was brought to the hospital, her condition had already deteriorated, so, we referred her to Sion," she said.
Dr Padmaja Keshkar, head of BMC's health department, cautioned families against not taking the symptoms seriously. "It is important to get treatment on time. People often delay visiting the doctor, assuming it's a flu," she said.
Delay in treatment can lead to swelling of the blood vessels of the brain, accumulation of fluid in the lungs that causes breathing problems, or pulmonary edema, which can lead to failure of the kidneys and liver. "They [families of malaria patients] need to be more careful and responsible," Dr Keshkar added.
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