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20-yr-old Kovai student’s death: Family accuses Siddha doctor of giving wrong treatment

A 20-year-old college student in Kovai died of complications after an alleged quack administered her faulty ‘treatment’ for her health issues, her relatives have claimed.

Sathyapriya, a student studying at Government Arts College, Coimbatore, had been suffering from menstrual problems for a long time. On January 23, on the advice of a relative, she approached Gurunathan, who runs Manonmani Siddha Vaidya Salai in Selvapuram, Coimbatore, to get her menstrual problems treated.

Though Gurunathan gave her some medicine to alleviate her problems, Sathyapriya instead started getting even more health issues as the days went by, her family said.

“After January 23, she kept going back to Gurunathan’s clinic frequently since there were a lot of new problems that cropped up. Every time she went, he gave her new medicines, which were all in powder form, to address the new ailment. Finally, on April 19, she visited him for a health complication and he gave her another new powder, which was to be mixed with water and consumed. She had it and immediately fainted,” her relative, Tamilkumaran said.

Sathyapriya was rushed to a clinic near her house in Kovaipudur. The staff there allegedly said that the issue was serious and referred her to Coimbatore Medical College and Hospital, where she was admitted on April 19.

“Upon initial examination, the doctors in the hospital told us that her lungs have been severely affected,” Tamilkumaran said.

Seeing her health condition, Sathyapriya’s family approached the Selvapuram police station with a complaint against Gurunathan. The police received the complaint and made a note in the CSR (Community Service Register). However, no FIR was filed.

“Since there was no visible action on our complaint, we gave a written complaint to the Coimbatore City Commissioner of Police on May 31, imploring him to take action,” Tamilkumaran told TNM. 

Meanwhile, Sathyapriya’s condition worsened on June 15, when her kidneys failed. She was placed on ventilator support and she passed away around 1.30 am on Monday.

Tamilkumaran told TNM that they have not received any update from the police about the status of their complaint as yet.

“The Selvapuram inspector spoke in favour of Gurunathan and even now, they have not filed an FIR based on our complaint,” he claimed.

TNM contacted the Selvapuram police station for an update on the case. A police officer in the station confirmed that a complaint receipt was issued to Sathyapriya’s family on May 1 but no FIR has been registered.

TNM also spoke to the Commissioner of Police, Coimbatore city, who said that he cannot discuss the case details over the phone.

Sathyapriya’s family, meanwhile, sat on a dharna in front of the Coimbatore Government Hospital, seeking justice. Senior police officers then intervened and assured action on the complaint.

Sathyapriya’s body has been sent for autopsy in the same hospital.

Source: The News Minute