In a strange circumstance of life and death, a patient who was declared dead by the Regional Institute of Medical Science (RIMS) was found alive on reaching home and was declared dead by Shija Hospital and Research Institute, Langol for the second time.
The person, who was falsely declared dead, has been identified as Elangbam Mocha, 16, son of E Eningthem of Heirok Part II.
Speaking to the Imphal Free Press over telephone, one of the relatives of the deceased told that Mocha was injured in his abdomen after a horse kicked him on Tuesday evening.
“Mocha spent the night but told the family members that he has pain in the abdomen. On Wednesday he was given first aid at community health centre, Heirok. As the injury was critical doctor of CHC, Heirok referred him at district hospital Thoubal on the same day,” the relative said narrating the sequence of events.
He said that after giving first-aid, Mocha was again referred at RIMS or JNIMS hospital for further treatment. Mocha was admitted at RIMS hospital and the doctor advised the family member that he needs to be operated as there are some blood clot inside his abdomen.
As per advice of the doctor, the operation was conducted at RIMS on Wednesday and later Mocha was admitted at Intensive care unit, RIMS bed number 3, he added.
Doctor told the family members that the patient needed blood and asked to arrange some units of blood. In the meantime, doctor from ICU declared Mocha as dead at 10.30 am on Thursday. A death certificate was also issued to the family members and mentioned the cause of death as ‘Hypovolemic shock due to blunt trauma abdomen”.
As doctor declared him dead, Mocha was brought back to home for performing his last rites. In the meantime, when the family members and relatives were preparing for the last rites, body temperature of Mocha started to rise.
When a local nurse checked the condition of Mocha, she told that he still has pulse and needs to be carried at hospital. Mocha was again carried at CHC, Heirok where the doctor of the centre told the family members that there is no facility for ECG and referred him at District hospital, Thoubal at about 3 pm, the relative stated.
He said that the doctor at the district hospital referred the patient again at other hospitals that has facility for patients with critical health conditions.
Eventually, Mocha was rushed to the Shija Hospitals and Research Institute, Langol but he was declared “brought dead” when the doctor of the hospital examined the health condition at about 4:30 pm, the relative added.
When IFP enquired, one of the doctor in-charge of district hospital, Thoubal said that the patient was bought under critical health condition though he still has weak pulse. When the doctor examines the patient, he was unconscious and failed to respond with any gesture. As the district hospital has no facility for ICU, he was referred at other hospitals that have ICU facility, the doctor told this reporter.
In the prescription of district hospital, Thoubal it is written that blood oxygen level of the patient was 76 percent with 60 per minute pulse rate.
This reporter also contacted medical superintendent of RIMS seeking clarifications but there was no response.
