German mother does U-turn

German mother does U-turn
Files Application With Police To Withdraw Rape Case Against Rohit
TIMES NEWS NETWORK

Panaji: The German woman who had alleged that her minor daughter had been raped by education minister Atanasio Monserrate’s son Rohit and sexually abused by PWD minister Churchill Alemao’s nephew Warren handed over a letter to the Calangute police on Sunday afternoon stating she wanted to withdraw her complaint.
The woman’s counsel Aires Rodrigues confirmed that she had given such a letter to the police. “She is really upset as the system is treating her and her daughter as the accused. They do not want another unnatural death as in the case of British teenager Scarlett Keeling. That is the reason why she wants to withdraw the complaint,” said Rodrigues.
It, however, may not be easy to withdraw the complaint. Criminal lawyer Surendra Dessai said, “A complaint in terms of a cognizable offence can neither be withdrawn nor compounded. It depends on the court to decide whether the accused should be bailed out or sent to police or judicial custody.”
German consul general Walter Stechel, who is currently in Goa, has expressed surprise over the development. “I am not aware of this. What is important for us is that a German kid has been affected and we have to help all German citizens in India. We had been informed about the FIR and the circumstances of the case,” said Stechel.
Stechel met governor S S Sidhu on Sunday but refused to divulge any details about their discussions. He may also meet police representatives to discuss the case.
Making it clear that the German consulate would not interfere with the police investigations, Stechel said, “We are closely following the case and are concerned about two things. First, that security is assured to the mother and the minor. And second that the police and judiciary take necessary action. We are confident that necessary steps have been taken.”
Although police officials refused to come on record, sources confirmed that the woman has also written that since the case was registered, she was being harassed. It is learnt that she has said that Goa is not a nice place to live in anymore.
Sources said the mother has refused to cooperate with the investigations and refused to hand over the computer hard disk in which Rohit’s messages are allegedly saved.
“Despite police security given to them, they are not staying in their house in Saligao and not helping in the investigations,” added sources.
Meanwhile, reacting to Sunday’s developments the education minister said, “This is a ploy to ensure that my son doesn’t get bail.”
Rohit’s bail plea will be heard by the children’s court on Monday.

November 10,2008, The Times of India, Goa edition

Goa Medical College plans policy review, to take brain dead off ventilators

GMC plans policy review, to take brain dead off ventilators
Preetu Nair | TNN

Panaji: Goa Medical College and Hospital may soon take patients who have been declared brain dead but are on ventilator off the apparatus so that the machine can be given to a patient with higher chances of survival. Doctors feel this could make the difference between life and death for critically ill patients.
Doctors at GMC admit that a review of the policy on ‘brain stem dead patients’ is in the offing. “At present, we keep such patients on ventilator till death is caused due to cardio respiratory failure. When a brain dead person is on ventilator, another patient who can definitely improve if put on ventilator in time is denied the facility,” said GMC dean Dr V N Jindal.
At any given point of time, there are at least seven critically ill patients admitted at GMC’s ICU, of which about a third go through the process of brain death. “Every week, we get at least one patient who stops responding during the course of treatment and becomes brain dead. But treatment is continued till the patient has a cardiac arrest so as to certify him or her dead,” said Dr Ponraj Sundaram, neurosurgeon at GMC.
“It is often difficult to convince the layman that a brain dead person is dead as people believe that a person is not dead as long as the heart keeps beating. A brain dead person on ventilator can register heartbeats for months together,” said Dr Jindal.
Even as doctors try to satisfy relatives of patients who are brain dead, they face the problem of denying admission into the ICU patients who are alive. Doctors say there are two accepted modes of death – cardio respiratory failure and brain stem death — in India as stated in the organ transplant act. A person is brain stem dead when there is an irreversible cessation of the functions of the brain.
Every year, GMC receives about 200 patients with head injuries who pass away from brain death, besides another 200 who die from massive strokes.
Explaining who can declare a patient to be brain dead, Dr Gopinath Shenoy, a medico-legal expert from Mumbai, said that according to the Organ Transplant Act, whenever an individual’s organs have to be harvested (for transplantation), a committee needs to examine the patient and certify the patient brain dead. “If the organs needn’t be harvested, then a single doctor can diagnose the patient as brain dead and a death certificate can be issued. This is acceptable in law,” he said.
There is, however, a moral and ethical dilemma involved. “Due to this we have decided to have a meeting with all medical consultants to review the situation and arrive at a policy decision,” added Dr Jindal.
Dr Shenoy added, “A brain stem dead patient is dead and even the law states this. By putting a brain stem dead person on ventilator, the doctor is actually doing a disservice to the patient and relatives as the hospital bill keeps mounting.”
A ventilator in a private hospital costs Rs 10,000 to 15,000 per day, while it’s free at GMC.
This decision comes in the wake of discussions on brain deaths and ventilators during the silver jubilee neurosurgery celebrations of GMC on Sunday.

November 10,2008, The Times of India, Goa edition