Kerala: Ayurvedic doctor in coma since 9 years after tasting his medicine, dies

KOCHI, KERALA: A 46-year-old Ayurvedic physician, who collapsed and slipped into coma nine years ago after tasting a medicine he had prescribed for a patient in 2007, died at his house in Paipra near Kochi today, his relatives said. Hailing from a very poor family, Dr PA Baiju had been in coma for nine years. In January 2007, when Dr Baiju was serving as the Medical Officer at the Government Ayurvedic Dispensary at Bison Valley in Idukki district, he had prescribed a 'kashaayam' (Ayurvedic concoction) to a woman patient who approached him seeking treatment for some orthopaedic problem. The woman, who consumed the diluted medicine purchased from a drug store, had fainted but survived. The woman's family and friends informed about this to the doctor. Dr Baiju asked them to bring the medicine and to convince them that it is harmless, he consumed the medicine following which collapsed and slipped into comma. Hoping that he would recover his poor parents took him to various medical facilities but failed. Later, his brother said a case is going on in a court in Idukki district against the woman's husband who was then charged with poisoning his wife's medicine with a highly potent pesticide. His body has been sent for autopsy at the Government Taluk Hospital, Muvattupuzha.