Following the death of a 17-year-old boy after a tonsil surgery at a clinic in Kannur in July 2024, the Kerala State Human Rights Commission has directed the Health Department of the state to ensure that all the private clinics have proper registration and comply with the prescribed regulations.
The SHRC also stated that those violating the regulations will be subjected to legal action.
The Commission directed the Health Department's Additional Chief Secretary to verify the qualifications and registrations of all doctors and staff at these clinics. Additionally, it mandated the creation of quality and patient safety guidelines, backed by an effective monitoring system.
Suryajith underwent surgery for tonsillitis on July 17, 2024, at an ENT facility named Priya Clinic in Kannur. The SHRC found that the doctor who performed the surgery lacked the required registration license that is mandatory for practicing medicine in Kerala.
According to reports, the boy was taken to another hospital named Fatima Hospital after he experienced serious symptoms such as vomiting blood after his tonsil surgery. The SHRC found out that Fatima Hospital also did not have the required registration.
Health Minister K Muraleedharan dismissed the Kerala SHRC's findings and claimed that the commission regularly releases similar reports.
Muraleedharan told Manorama News, “There are several such findings by the Human Rights Commission.”
Muraleedharan also said that the findings could not be accepted if the SHRC suggested that all doctors in the state were unqualified. However, the SHRC did not make any such declaration. Its findings specifically concerned the doctor and healthcare establishments involved in Suryajith's case.
However, the SHRC found that there were inconsistencies in the official investigations into Suryajith's death and that the medical records had been tampered with at Fatima Hospital, where he was admitted once his condition had deteriorated. The Commission noted that there had been"culpable negligence" in the boy's death.
Suryajith was taken to Fatima Hospital on the second day after his tonsillitis surgery. He was taken to Fatima Hospital on the advice of Dr. Sandesh Priyadarshan after Suryajith began vomiting blood and experienced immense discomfort. He died soon after he was admitted.
According to reports, his father, P Shahji, alleged that there were shortcomings during the surgery and that Fatima Hospital failed to provide emergency treatment to the boy, resulting in his death.
The initial investigation by the District Medical Officer identified some deficiencies in the emergency care provided to the boy. However, the subsequent medical board (which included the DMO) determined that there was no negligence by the doctor or in the treatment. The police closed the case based on the medical board's report, prompting the family to approach the Human Rights Commission.
The case was then investigated by an Inspector General of Police who found that Dr. Priyadarshan did not have the mandatory registration with the Kerala Medical Council that is required to practice in Kerala.
The Commission also pointed out that neither the DMO nor the police had verified whether the doctor and the healthcare establishments involved had the mandatory registrations during their earlier investigations. The absence of the doctor's registration was subsequently established through documents obtained under the Right to Information (RTI) Act.
SHRC also alleged that changes had been made to the medical and nursing reports at Fatima Hospital after the boy died.
In October 2026, the commission ordered the State Police Chief to conduct a further investigation into the case registered by Kannur Town Police. The commission also directed that the case be handled by a Crime Branch Officer not below the rank of Deputy Superintendent of Police.
The investigation has been asked to check whether there were failures to provide proper treatment, any alterations to medical and nursing records, the surgeon's credentials and registration, and the registration of the two health establishments.
The Commission also directed the Director General of Police (DGP) and the Health Department to submit reports on the action taken within three months.
The commission demanded justice for the boy's death.
(Rh/ARC)
