FIR filed in hospital death case

Professor TH Robert Tiba’s relatives have filed a complaint with the Ulsoor police station against Hosmat Hospital alleging medical negligence in his death. Tiba, who was head of the history department in Assam University's Diphu campus, died in the hospital on Monday after being in coma for 11 days.

Tiba was brought to the city for a surgery on his left hand to set right a fracture suffered in a road accident in Guwahati on January 25. He was admitted to the hospital on January 26, and the surgery was performed the next day. His wife alleged that he collapsed after he was given an injection by an “untrained” nurse on January 28.

Tiba’s body was taken to Guwahati on Wednesday. The post-mortem examination was conducted in Bowring Hospital on Tuesday; the results are awaited.

“Robert Tiba showed anaphylactic reaction to the drugs administered on him,” Dr Thomas Chandy, director and chief of orthopaedics, Hosmat Hospital, said. “It was an untoward reaction, but it is not a case of medical negligence. The allegation that he was treated by an untrained nurse is baseless,” he said. “We have our own nursing college and all our nurses are well trained.”

The Naga Students’ Association, a forum of North-Eastern students, said it would meet governor HR Bhardwaj, human rights commission officials and police officers to demand justice for the family. It said it would protest against the “injustice” meted out to Tiba's family.