Singapore woman dies after bariatric surgery

The victim, Alicia Magdalene John, wife of Vijay Kumar and a Singapore national, was admitted to SR Multi- specialty Hospital on Razak Garden Road in Arumbakkam, for liposuction surgery and body countering on Wednesday. 

The surgery was performed on Wednesday afternoon and hours later she developed some complications. As her condition deteriorated, she was put on a ventilator. However, the woman developed pulmonary complications and  died of cardiac arrest around 1.15 am on Thursday, police said here. Alicia reportedly decided to undergo the weight loss surgery as she faced problem in conceiving. “It looks like the couple was advised to reduces her weight to improve the chances of getting pregnant,” a police officer said.

 “The couple came to Chennai on  November 4 and consulted a medical team on November 6, following which Alicia was admitted to the Arumbakkam hospital for the surgery on  Wednesday morning. Unfortunately, she died on Thursday. Subsequently, the victim’s husband approached the police commissioner’s office to obtain permission to take the body back to Singapore,” police said.

Vijay Kumar has applied for a medico legal certificate for which he was asked to lodge a complaint with the Chennai police. “We might advise him to do a post mortem before taking the body to Singapore. 

Only after the autopsy report, we will know if there was any medical negligence,” a senior police officer noted. 

It may be recalled that A Valarmathi, 46, a native Thiruvannamalai, who underwent a bariatric surgery at Lifeline Institute of Minimal Access in Kilpauk on August 26, died on September 23. This is the second death reportedly due to the weight loss treatment in the city in the last 45 days, while this is the first time a foreign national has died after such a surgery.