Medico-legal cases: Docs draft guidelines

Medico-legal cases: Docs draft guidelines
To Be Added To Existing Medical Norms
Preetu Nair | TNN

Panaji: When around three months back, an asthma patient in her late twenties, collapsed, hit her head against the edge of a hospital bed and died soon after she was given an injection at a hospital, there was confusion as to whether the case should be treated as a medico legal case (MLC) or not, before it was finally decided to treat the case as an MLC.
However, such dilemmas will soon become a thing of the past. To avoid confusions or conflicts, doctors at the Goa Medical College (GMC) have drafted medico-legal guidelines that clearly describe the category of cases that should qualify as MLCs.
These guidelines not only deliberate on traditional MLC cases — such as suicides, accidental deaths, murders, cases referred by courts, burn injuries cases, etc — but also review those related to presentday situations.
“As we came across such cases in the GMC, it was discussed with experts and we decided that it is the need of the hour to treat such cases as MLCs. Guidelines have been drafted keeping in mind the present day situation,” said GMC dean Dr VN Jindal.
According to the new guidelines, if a patient is brought unconscious to the hospital and dies immediately thereafter, the case would turn into a medico legal case even without the family members demanding it. This will be done especially if the patient’s past medical reports are not available.
Furthermore, even if a patient passes away suddenly after parenteral administration of a drug or medication, or if the patient falls or if there is
any mishap in the hospital due to which the patient sustains injuries and passes away, then it would be treated as a MLC.
The guidelines also suggests that if the relatives of the patient assault the treating doctor or other staff of the hospital, or if the patient’s relatives create a law and order problem in the hospital, then the case should be treated as a medico legal case.
Incidentally, these new guidelines are in addition to the existing norms which are being practised by doctors all over the country.
“So far, only burn injury cases, accident cases and those related to homicide, suicide, sexual assault, death in operation theatre or after surgery or in the intensive care unit (ICU) were considered as medico-legal.
“But it was now the need of the hour to include new categories in the new guidelines as it not only helps the doctors but also removes any doubt in the mind of the patient’s relatives,” said Dr Wiseman Pinto, who has been in the forefront of drafting these guidelines. The guidelines were then sent across for circulation and discussion to all the clinical departments along with the forensic department and the anaesthesia department, before it was decided to implement them in the GMC.
Dr Pinto added, “These guidelines on medico-legal cases would also serve to reduce the conflict between hospital authorities and patient’s relatives who generally allege suspicious deaths. Besides this, it will also help the law enforcement agencies”.
A copy of the guidelines will also be sent to all government-run hospitals and even private nursing homes and hospitals across the state.

December 23, 2008, The Times of India, Goa edition