13-Year-Old's Mysterious Death In Hospital Sparks Protests, Family Alleges Negligence

The death of a 13-year-old girl in India under mysterious circumstances has sparked protests outside the hospital, where she died.

The incident took place Monday night in the southern city of Coimbatore. A group of people staged a protest at a private hospital in Kuniyamuthur alleging medical negligence.

The police, after arriving at the scene, told the New Indian Express the unidentified girl had gone to school Monday, following which the staff called her parents saying she had fainted. Her family then rushed her to a private hospital in Kuniyamuthur.

"Doctors at the hospital said there was nothing to worry about her health. But she was unconscious for five hours and finally, she was declared dead. Following her death, the parents alleged that it happened due to the doctors’ negligence and that they had given contradictory statements about her condition," the police said.

The protesters at the scene demanded an inquiry and action against those involved in the case.

An investigation was currently underway into the incident, according to Tamil Samayam [Google Translate showed]. Authorities did not reveal the girl's cause of death. It was also not known if the girl had any underlying health conditions.

No charges have been filed in the case so far, the local media reported. The police did not reveal what treatment the girl received at the hospital.

In March, a 50-year-old man died while undergoing a minor surgery on his right hand at a private clinic in India. The family blamed the doctor and staff for their negligence. The victim, identified as Sheetla Prasad, underwent the procedure at a clinic in the northern state of Uttar Pradesh, following a fracture on his hand. “It was a minor fracture in the right hand. The surgery was not major or life threatening, but still my father died,” the victim’s son, identified as Brijesh Prasad, said at the time. “He was fit enough to drive his bike to a hospital where an X-ray confirmed fracture in his right hand following which he was advised surgery,” Prasad said. His family reportedly held protests outside the clinic demanding an inquiry and action against those responsible. “We are constituting a team under additional chief medical officer Dr. A.P. Singh to conduct inspections of private hospitals,” chief medical officer Dr. Manoj Agrawal reportedly said at the time.