Death at Lady Ridgeway Hospital Child’s left kidney was inflamed

By T. Farook Thajudeen  

Senior Lecturer of Colombo Medical College and Consultant Paediatric Nephrologist Dr. Malik Samarasinghe giving evidence before Colombo Additional Magistrate Rajindra Jayasooriya yesterday asserted that all the scan tests and other tests conducted by Consultant Radiologist Dr.  Gerard Fernando at Asiri Surgical Hospital and at the Lady Ridgeway Hospital had confirmed that both kidneys of little Hamdini were positioned in the proper places and the right kidney functioned in the normal way.  

He also said that according to the tests and other investigations carried out, it had been indicated that the right kidney of Hamdini functioned in a normal way and it was in normal size. However the Doctor further said that Hamdini’s left kidney was malfunctioning and was also more inflamed than the normal size.  

He also said according to the tests, while the right kidney functioned up to 91% the left kidney functioned only up to 9%.  

The doctor said that their investigations confirmed that malfunctioning of the left kidney was due to a blockage in the ureter of the left kidney.  
 He also said that after detecting the cause for the malfunctioning of the kidney further tests and investigations were carried out to further ascertain the cause for the malfunction of the left kidney. In all those tests it was confirmed that Hamdini had two kidneys and the kidneys were positioned correctly on the left and right sides of the abdomen of Hamdini.  
The Doctor said at the inception he examined Hamdini in a Private Hospital on a complaint of abdominal pain and unnatural swelling of abdomen.  
Dr. Malik Samarasinghe will further testify before the Magistrate on September 5.  

The Magistrate had issued orders to Borella Police to conduct their investigation based on all reports available as there are contradictions and obscurities in the Judicial Medical Officer’s report into the death of three-year-old Hamdini at the Lady Ridgeway Hospital and the statement of the Director of Lady Ridgeway Hospital Dr. Wijesuriya who had confirmed in a media briefing that the child had two kidneys and the two kidneys were attached together and both kidneys were removed during the operation but JMO Ruhul Haque had noted that the child had only one kidney.  

 Raising concerns about its ambiguity and obscurities the Magistrate ordered Borella Police to conduct an impartial inquiry into the death of the child.  

•  In all those tests it was confirmed that Hamdini had two kidneys and the kidneys were positioned correctly on the left and right sides of the abdomen of Hamdini