Report on patient’s death allegedly due to negligence at NHSL to be submitted today

By Rathindra Kuruwita

The Director of the Colombo National Hospital will submit a report on the death of a female patient who underwent a surgical operation on Thursday (28) to Health Minister Ramesh Pathirana today (01).

The 62-year-old woman, who was undergoing surgery for breast cancer, had allegedly died when she had been administered carbon dioxide.There are allegations that she was given carbon dioxide instead of oxygen.

Deputy Director of the Hospital, Dr. Rukshan Bellana said that she had died during surgery.Carbon dioxide is used to stabilise body cavities to provide better visibility of the surgical area.

H. M. S. D. Mediwatta, General Secretary of the All Ceylon Nurses’ Union, said that the patient had not died because someone had given her carbon dioxide by mistake.

Secretary of the Government Medical Officers Association (GMOA), Dr. Haritha Aluthge, said the post mortem will determine whether she had died of carbon dioxide poisoning.