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Father of Kerala girl who died of amoebic fever attacks doctor, arrested: Police
Eyewitnesses said KV Sunoop, the father of the girl, burst into the office of the medical superintendent at the taluk hospital on Wednesday afternoon and proceeded to hit Dr Vipin on the head with a machete. The doctor was perusing some lab reports of another patient with the health personnel inside the superintendent’s office when the attack happened
Kochi: A doctor at the Government Taluk Hospital in Thamarassery in Kozhikode district was hospitalised on Wednesday after being attacked with a sharp weapon by the father of a nine-year-old girl who died due to suspected amoebic meningoencephalitis in August.
Eyewitnesses said KV Sunoop, the father of the girl, burst into the office of the medical superintendent at the taluk hospital on Wednesday afternoon and proceeded to hit Dr Vipin on the head with a machete. The doctor was perusing some lab reports of another patient with the health personnel inside the superintendent’s office when the attack happened.
A lab technician at the hospital who saw the attack told reporters, “The accused shouted that the doctor caused his daughter’s death. Before we could react, he hit the doctor on the head with the machete. Before he could rain more blows, we restrained him and dragged him out of the superintendent’s office.”
Dr Vipin, after being given preliminary treatment at the taluk hospital, was rushed to the Baby Memorial Hospital where he has been admitted to the neurosurgery ICU. He is expected to undergo a minor brain sugery due to a skull fracture and is said to be stable.
The accused, KV Sunoop, has been arrested by the Thamarassery police and slapped with charges of attempt to murder and using dangerous weapons to attack another person. While on the way to undergo medical examination, the accused said that he dedicates the attack to the hospital’s medical superintendent, the health minister and the health department.
His wife, who did not want to be identified, told reporters that Sunoop was mentally disturbed over the past week after learning from doctors at the Kozhikode Government Medical College hospital that his daughter Anaya, who died on August 14, did not suffer from amoebic encephalitis.
“Doctors at the hospital told my husband that our daughter did not have encephalitis caused by amoeba. Apparently, it was a fever case and that our daughter would have survived if she was referred to the Medical College a bit earlier. They told us on the basis of the postmortem report and the brain scans. We strongly believe she died due to medical negligence,” she told reporters.
The Kerala Government Medical Officers Association (KGMOA) has called for a flash strike in Kozhikode district on Thursday, with government doctors and medical personnel abandoning all outpatient (OP) services. The KGMOA alleged that the State government’s promises of ensuring police aid posts and proper security at government hospitals remain unfulfilled.
