Shillong, Feb 24: The Meghalaya government today informed that there was no negligence in the care provided to the late Shillong MP Ricky AJ Syngkon, who died of a suspected heart attack last week.
Addressing the media, Health Minister Wailadmiki Shylla said that his department had conducted an inspection and inquiry through the District Medical and Health Officer of East Khasi Hills.
There had been reports after Syngkon’s death that there had been a delay in the ambulance reaching him and that there was no doctor present at Mawiong Community Health Centre, where he was initially brought for treatment.
While the last part was true, Shylla said that Syngkon was assessed by medical staff present as requiring more advanced care than they could provide at the facility and was thus referred to Dr H Gordon Roberts Hospital in Jaiaw where he was declared dead.
As to the ambulance, Shylla said that a phone call was received by the 108 emergency helpline at 6:53pm regarding Syngkon’s suspected heart attack, which occurred while he was playing football at Mawiong. An ambulance was then immediately dispatched from Lawmali. However, within 5-7 minutes, another phone call to the 108 service informed that Syngkon was being taken in a private vehicle to the CHC.
The MP was brought to the CHC at approximately 7:15pm and taken to the emergency room.
“On arrival, the patient was unconscious and unresponsive. Initial assessment revealed blood pressure not recordable, pulse not palpable. The patient was immediately attended by the staff nurse on emergency duty and the medical officer on call was intimated,” Shylla stated.
The minister said oxygen support was initiated promptly and cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) was administered. “Despite these resuscitation efforts, the patient did not respond. In view of the critical condition and non-response to initial resuscitation, the patient party was informed of the need for immediate referral to a higher facility,” he added.
At around 7:20pm, that is roughly 5 minutes after arrival, arrangements were made to transfer Syngkon and he was shifted with oxygen support in the Mawiong CHC ambulance and reached Dr H Gordon Roberts Hospital at approximately 7:40pm, where he was handed over to the emergency team.
“As per the medical report of Roberts Hospital, on arrival the patient vitals were not recordable and pupils were bilaterally fixed and dilated,” the minister said.
Citing the findings of the inquiry, Shylla said: “The inquiry confirms that emergency assessment and basic life support measures were initiated promptly upon the patient’s arrival at Mawiong CHC. The staff present acted within the scope and capacity of a community health centre, including immediate examination, oxygen administration, initiation of CPR and timely referral to a higher facility. There is no finding of refusal of care or delay in referral at Mawiong CHC.”
Responding to questions on the absence of a doctor at the CHC at the time of the incident, Shylla acknowledged the shortage of medical personnel in the state.
“Right now we are facing a tremendous shortage of doctors in our state. Nevertheless, there were actually four doctors posted at Mawiong CHC. But out of these four, two are under leave for higher studies and one doctor was transferred to Khliehriat CHC in May because of a medical condition,” he said.
The lone doctor had been on duty from 9am to 4pm and was available on call after that. The nurse who attended Syngkon did so under the doctor’s guidance, the minister added. “No doubt, it is very unfortunate that at that particular moment the doctor was not there. But all the necessary procedures were followed as medical emergencies,” he added.
Principal Secretary in the Health Department, Sampath Kumar, meanwhile, stated that Mawiong CHC treats very few patients on an average day because it is close enough to Shillong’s many hospitals for patients to travel to the city for treatment. He noted that there had even been discussions about utilising part of the CHC premises as a de-addiction centre due to underutilisation.
