26-year-old youth dies during weight loss surgery in Chennai, Tamil Nadu govt orders probe

A 26-year-old man, weighing 150 kg, passed away due to complications arising from a weight-loss surgery conducted at a private hospital in Chennai. This unfortunate incident led to the Tamil Nadu government ordering an investigation, Times of India reported. The individual, identified as Hemachandran from Puducherry, underwent metabolic and bariatric surgery at a hospital in Pammal starting at 9:30 am on a Tuesday. However, the surgery was disrupted when he experienced a slow heart rate around 10:15 am, prompting his transfer to another hospital in Chrompet for intensive care where he eventually succumbed later that night. Additional reports and test results from the hospital are awaited to shed more light on the sequence of events.

Tamil Nadu Health Minister Subramanian personally contacted Hemachandran's grieving parents via phone to offer his condolences and assure them of a comprehensive investigation into their son's untimely demise, the report said. Nonetheless, the state directorate of medical services initially indicated that there was no apparent negligence on the part of the medical team based on preliminary inquiries. It was noted that Hemachandran's family did not consent to a post-mortem examination, and as of now, the state medical council has not received any complaints from them.

In a separate incident, two private hospitals in Chennai were directed to compensate a total of Rs 25.5 lakh following a surgical error that resulted in nerve damage, as determined by a consumer disputes commission. N. Sivaramakrishnan from Thoraipakkam had undergone surgery to insert a titanium plate in his fractured right shoulder after a road accident in Mayiladuthurai back in June 2019. Subsequent discomfort led him to seek plate removal two years later, which unfortunately led to nerve damage during a surgical procedure at a hospital in Perungudi, followed by corrective surgeries at a facility in Besant Avenue, Adyar in November 2021.


Sivaramakrishnan experienced pain and numbness in specific fingers of his right hand post-surgery, which was attributed to anesthesia initially. However, a follow-up visit to the hospital revealed the nerve damage, necessitating further corrective interventions. His legal action against both hospitals resulted in the commission ordering them to provide compensation of Rs 25.5 along with a refund of 11.25 lakh rupees for surgery expenses, acknowledging the negligence that led to the unfortunate outcome.