M'sian doctor leaves woman who just gave birth, goes for a drink, results in her death

Two veteran doctors with decades of experience and had overseen over 8,500 deliveries between them were ordered to pay nearly RM6 million (S$1.82 million) to a Malaysian family after a mother under their care died from postpartum bleeding, reported Malaysian media New Straits Times.

The case

Punitha Mohan, aged 36, passed away on Jan. 9, 2019, just hours after giving birth to her second child at the Shan Clinic and Birth Centre in Klang, Selangor.

She had been admitted the previous evening and delivered her baby at approximately 10:30am under the care of Ravi Akambaram.

Ravi operated at the premises of Shan Clinic under an arrangement with its owner and fellow medical practitioner, Shanmugam Muniandi.

Shanmugam assisted Ravi with the 2019 delivery.

Both were accused of negligence in a civil case brought by Punitha’s family.

The plaintiffs, including her parents, sister, and two children, contended that both doctors failed to provide adequate care, as detailed in a judgment issued on January 9.

Shortly after Punitha gave birth, her family — including her husband and brother — saw the newborn while she remained in the delivery room.

Not long after, her screams alarmed her mother, who rushed in to find her bleeding profusely.

According to court documents, Ravi had informed the family that he needed to manually extract her placenta due to a swollen uterus causing significant blood loss.

He assured them there was no need for concern and then left the clinic.

In court, Ravi admitted he had gone out for a drink, stating he intended to return quickly.

Meanwhile, Shanmugam also left the delivery room, leaving Punitha under the care of three nurses who were later revealed to be unregistered with Malaysia’s health ministry.

At approximately 12:35pm, two hours after the birth, the nurses called a nearby hospital seeking urgent medical assistance.

By then, Punitha’s condition had deteriorated.

Her mother observed that her daughter was struggling to breathe and her body had grown cold.

Ravi returned to the clinic around 12:57pm, but Punitha was only transferred to Tengku Ampuan Rahimah Hospital more than 20 minutes later.

Despite undergoing surgery and emergency blood transfusions, she did not survive, reported The Sun.

Tragedy could have been prevented: Judge

Judge Norliza Othman ruled that both doctors failed to ensure their patient received proper care and left her vulnerable to life-threatening complications.

Postpartum haemorrhage, characterised by excessive blood loss, can typically be managed with immediate medical intervention, the judgment noted.

The judge concluded that the tragedy could have been prevented had the doctors taken swift action, such as promptly transferring Punitha to a hospital, rather than leaving her in the care of unregistered nurses.

The court awarded the family over RM5.9 million in damages.

This includes RM1 million for each of Punitha’s two children, as well as aggravated damages of RM1.5 million against Ravi and RM700,000 against Shanmugam.

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