Residents lay siege as injured couple turned away by PHC die

Pichamuthu (40) and his wife Vimala (35) of Kilchendathur, working in a private leather unit near Ambur were injured when their two-wheeler was hit by a private bus bound for Guidyattam. They were rushed to the PHC, from where they were shifted to the Gudiyattam Government Hospital, where Vimala was declared brought dead. Pichamuthu was then shifted to the Vellore Government Medical College Hospital at Adukamparai on the outskirts of the town, where he too succumbed. 

Relatives of the deceased and public then blocked the Melapatti road, demanding action against those responsible for turning away the injured couple, without administering first aid. They also demanded that the bus driver be arrested, as the bus after hitting the couple came to a stop after entering a nearby coconut grove. Police rushed to the spot and pacified the agitators following which they dispersed. Irate residents told this reporter that this was not the first time a PHC tried to shirk its responsibility by referring cases to nearby hospitals. Enquiries reveal that this is a ploy adopted to prevent the involvement of hospital staff in medico legal cases. But this negligent attitude of PHC staff affects accident victims, whose chances of survival could become slim due to such an approach, said  a doctor speaking on condition of anonymity.

The siege of the Melpatti facility started immediately after the injured couple was asked to be shifted to the nearby Gudiyattam Government Hospital. 

Police who arrived on the scene preferred to maintain a discreet distance. They chose to handle it with diplomacy knowing that those agitating were the relatives and friends of the injured, said a source. Police also did not register any case as doing so would have resulted in the situation turning ugly. The common feeling was that it was a fight for justice.