Was RML Hospital Trying to Save MP E Ahamed Or the Union Budget?

In an interview to The Quint, Ahamed’s daughter has raised serious questions about the treatment provided to him.

A file photo of former Union minister E Ahamed. (Photo: Reuters)

The controversy around the death of Indian Union Muslim League MP E Ahamed, who died on February 1 after a cardiac arrest, is getting murkier.

Speaking to The Quint, the former Union minister’s family has made some shocking allegations about the treatment given to him.

The charges raise some very serious questions. Was there an attempt to delay the announcement of Ahamed’s death so that the Budget, scheduled for February 1, could go ahead as planned? And did one of our most respected MPs deserve an undignified death?

'Compression Device Used for Way Too Long'

In a long WhatsApp video call interview from Kannur, Kerala, Ahamed’s daughter Dr Fouzia Shershad, a medical practitioner herself, alleges that a chest compression device was applied on Ahamed for 10 hours at Delhi’s Ram Manohar Lohia (RML) Hospital. The device should only be used for up to 30 minutes,

The usual protocol is to use the chest compression device only for 15-30 minutes. If the heart doesn’t pump by then, the machine is disconnected and the patient is declared dead.

Dr Fouzia Shershad, Ahamed’s daughter

A medical practitioner working at RML Hospital told The Quint on the condition of anonymity that the allegations made by the family about the over-use of the device are true.

Besides, for almost six hours, the family was not allowed to see him at the hospital.

We reached around 8:30 pm. We found that the doctors and whoever were in charge were not letting us go inside and see Father. They said they have instructions not to let anyone inside.

Dr Fouzia Shershad

‘Ahamed’s Face Was Bloated’

A chest compression device. (Photo Courtesy: Medical Device Depot)

The chest compression device was used on my father for almost 10 hours when we spoke to a doctor at 12 midnight. This is an instrument that can only be used for 30 minutes or so. I want to ask RML Hospital, why did they use the device for so long on my father who was 78 years old? Is it because they didn’t want us to see that they were using the device that they were keeping it a secret? 

Dr Fouzia Shershad

The family says that when they finally managed to see Ahamed, they were horror-struck because his face was bloated due to excessive use of the chest compression device.

‘Permission of Family Was Not Sought By the Hospital During The Treatment’

MP E Ahamed’s daughter claims that RML doctors went ahead with the extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (ECMO) process without taking the family’s consent. (Photo Courtesy: CriticalCareNurse)

Ahamed’s daughter and son-in-law – who is also a medical practitioner – were present at the hospital when he was undergoing treatment. According to his daughter, the doctors informed the family that they will begin the ECMO (extracorporeal membrane oxygenation) procedure on Ahamed. ECMO is a technique of providing both cardiac and respiratory support to someone whose heart and lungs are unable to supply an adequate amount of gas exchange to sustain life.

Certain protocols are to be followed before ECMO is done on a patient. When they decided to do such an invasive procedure they didn’t ask for our permission.  

Dr Fouzia Shershad

‘Junior Doctors Attended to Ahamed Initially’

The family claims that when they interacted with doctors who were attending to Ahamed, they found that most of them were junior doctors.

We found that one of the doctors was an intern. Most of them were junior doctors. It was only at 12 midnight that a heart surgeon attended to my father. Why couldn’t he come earlier? 

Dr Fouzia Shershad, Ahamed’s daughter

Clearly, the family has several unanswered questions in their minds. Will the government order an enquiry based on their allegations? Were desperate attempts made to keep the family away from Ahamed?

If yes, who gave the instructions to the hospital? On Monday, the Congress and Left MPs demanded a probe into the handing of Ahamed’s treatment. They have alleged that he had died soon after being rushed to the hospital but his death was announced much later so that the Buget presentation does not get postponed.

Whether the hospital was following orders from someone influential, is a question that remains to be answered.