'Heartless' minor workers' caused woman's death?

Employees refused to help mother who fell from trishaw, says son:

Sumathipala Deeyagahage - Southern Province Roving correspondent

GALLE: When Government employees whose salaries are paid by the common masses do not oblige to return their services to the ordinary citizens, the end result is tragic.

Kodagoda Vithanage Kusumawathi, 45, suffering from a heart attack succumbed to her tragic fate when two health minor workers neglected their duty and refused to extend a helping hand when she fell from the trishaw in which she was being taken to hospital.

The Galle Inquirer into Sudden Deaths Mahindalal Boralessa ordered the Karapitiya Hospital Director and police to conduct investigations regarding the two minor employees who refused to take the woman patient into the hospital.

She had fallen from the three-wheeler while being taken to the OPD to be admitted to the Karapitiya hospital.

The Inquirer into Sudden Deaths made this order returning the verdict at the inquest into the death of Kusumawathi of Bataganvila, Galle who died of a heart attack.

The deceased's son P.P. Saman Kumara in

evidence said the mother was complaining of a headache.

"On the day of the incident, my mother fell ill and she did not speak. I took her to the Karapitiya hospital in a three-wheeler. There, my mother fell from the three-wheeler. I requested some minor employees in the OPD to bring a trolley but they ignored and started scolding me.

Later my mother was taken to the hospital with the help of another employee. After 45 minutes she died at the Intensive Care Unit," he said. JMO UCP Perera conducted the postmortem examination. Based on the postmortem report and the evidence, the Inquirer recorded a verdict of death due to a heart attack.