Woman died due to medical lapse, says City Coroner

Hemantha Dep

Additional City Coroner Mohamed Ashraff Rumy who held the inquest into the death of Therese Bastians, 33, of Newton Seneviratne Mawatha, Boralesgamuwa on Thursday returned a verdict of accidental death due to excessive internal haemorrhage caused by two successive operations, and passed severe strictures on the private nursing home for causing the death due to medical negligence.

The deceased’s husband Malik Rizwan Hamadeen (34) testified that he admitted his wife to a private nursing home in Narahenpita on January 17 last year for her maiden child birth.

She delivered her baby at the caesarean section and the consultant surgeon who attended on her informed him that his wife had to undergo a second operation immediately to remove a growth in her womb.

Following the second operation, she looked heavily exhausted and complained of deep pain in the abdomen, he said.

The Additional City Coroner after examining the AJMO report, medical records and evidence given by witnesses including two doctors attached to the Private Nursing Home, delivering his verdict said the second operation should not have been performed so soon since the Nursing home lacked adequate facilities to handle such situations.

The coroner said there had been a slight delay in supplying blood when it was called for transfusion during the operation.

Blood supplies requested at 3.55 p.m. had only been supplied at 4.15 p.m. Proper medical records had not been maintained by the Nursing Home as done in government hospitals.

Sergeant Lal Pathirana of Maradana Police and Constable Jayasinghe of the Narahenpita Police led evidence.