Village quack's actions kill woman

[TamilNet, Monday, 31 August 1998, 17:49 GMT]
The Batticaloa district judge today remanded Kanapathipillai Rasamma, a village quack, for allegedly causing the death of a woman who had given birth, by ripping out the woman's womb while attempting to pull out and cut her umbilical cord.

The dead woman, identified as Aruchchunan Kalawathy, 30 of Thalankudah, 8 kilometers south of Batticaloa, had to seek the assistance of Rassammah as her labour pains had started around 10.30 p.m. on Saturday.

The STF imposes an unofficial curfew in the Thalankudah area after 8 p.m. Civilians here are unable, as a result, to seek emergency medical assistance from the nearby hospital at Aariampathy after dark for fear of being punished by the STF.

The Ariampathy hospital is less than three kilometers from Thalankudah. Kalawathy, according to her relatives, had to remain at home until morning though bleeding heavily.

She died upon admission to the Batticaloa hospital yesterday around 11.30 a.m.

The JMO Batticaloa K. Chandirapalan returned verdict at Kalavathy's inquest that the death had occurred due to the dead woman's womb being torn out along with the umbilical cord.

The judge remanded the quack for 14 days.