Days after the shocking death of Priya, a 17-year-old Chennai footballer, who died of complications caused by a botched surgery done by the government doctors, Tamil Nadu Chief Minister MK Stalin on Thursday- November 17 visited Priya's bereaving family and paid tribute to the deceased girl. As promised, the Chief Minister presented a solatium to the family along with a government job for Priya's brother.

Chief Minister MK Stalin was accompanied by senior Tamil Nadu Ministers PK Sekar Babu, Ma Subramanian, Chennai Mayor Priya, and other officials as he entered Priya's residence in Vyasarpadi, which was covered with anguish and distress. A sense of outcry was visible in the area as there were protests from Priya's relatives and friends who demanded the government arrest the government doctors who were responsible for Priya's death. 

MK Stalin paid floral tribute to Priya's portrait in her house and he assured the family that the state government will always be there to support them. Surrounded by family members and relatives, the Chief Minister presented a cheque of Rs 10 to the family as a solatium. He also presented the job order for the post of Data Entry Operator in the National Health Mission for Priya's elder brother, as assured by the state government. 

Furthermore, the Chief Minister has also presented the order for the allocation of a house in Tamil Nadu Urban Habitat Development Board tenements in Gowthamapuram to Priya's family. MK Stalin shared the visuals of his visit on social media and said that Priya's loss is an unbearable sorrow and that the government will stand with the family members. 

Taking to Twitter, MK Stalin wrote, "Football player Priya's death is unbearable sorrow. The loss of a talent who was about to reach great heights is a great loss to her family and to the sports industry of our state", adding that the government will help the bereaved family in all possible ways. Priya's death sparked a statewide outrage as it exhibited the prevailing apathy in healthcare in treating people with the right treatment and care. 

The doctors who operated on Priya initially were suspended and Tamil Nadu Health Minister Ma Subramanian has said that the final inquiry report will be submitted this week. Priya was a first-year student in the Physical Education department at Queen Mary's College in Chennai. Hailing from a downtrodden family, Priya developed a passion to play football at a young age and she has a league of fans from her family and community. She has won several recognitions at district and state-level games. When she was gearing up with her sporting spirit, her health issues halted her journey and the medical professionals finally ended it.  

The tragic end of a sport star

It has been reported that Priya was suffering from leg pain and she was initially taken to the Government Peripheral Hospital in Periyar Nagar last month. The doctors at the hospital told Priya on October 26 that a ligament tear was detected on her right knee and it should be fixed through surgery. According to reports, Priya and her family met the doctors at the Rajiv Gandhi Government General Hospital and sought a second opinion on her leg pain and on the advised surgery.  

The doctors at Rajiv Gandhi Hospital advised Priya to undergo the surgery as advised by the Government Peripheral Hospital as this medical facility was close to her residence. She was admitted to the Periyar Nagar hospital and the surgery was performed on November 7. However, after the surgery, Priya began complaining of severe pain in her legs. Later, there was a suspected blood clot in her leg and she was then shifted to the Rajiv Gandhi government hospital for further treatment. 

The doctors at the Rajiv Gandhi government hospital did medical investigations and found that the tissues in Priya's right leg were dead and that her right leg has to be removed to save her life. It was reported that it was due to the medical apathy of the doctors at the Periyar Nagar hospital that caused her a health setback as she lost her tissues and went on to lose a leg. Her family members and relatives staged a protest against the doctors of the Periyar Nagar hospital by alleging that they were the reason why she lost her leg. 

In the midst of the protests, Priya's leg was removed on November 9. However, the pain endured by her didn't subdue. She was operated on for the second time as her condition didn't improve and this second follow-up surgery was done at the Rajiv Gandhi government hospital on Monday- November 14. She was put on ventilator support and was monitored by the doctors. However, amid the treatments, Priya breathed her last on Tuesday- November 15. Her death has sparked heatwaves across the state as the news of her demise stirred outcry against the Periyar Nagar government hospital and the doctors who operated with negligence. 

On Tuesday, Tamil Nadu Health Minister Ma Subramanian said, "We have learned from the medical inquiry committee that neglect by two doctors at the Periyar Nagar government hospital is one of the reasons for her death." In the wake of the outrage, the Director of Medical Education, Kilpauk, has passed the orders of suspending two doctors -Somasundar and Balram Shankar of the Periyar Nagar hospital for their negligence that caused the footballer to lose her life.

அவரை இழந்து வாடும் குடும்பத்தினர்க்கு அரசு அனைத்து வழிகளிலும் உதவியாய் நிற்கும். இவை அனைத்தும் ப்ரியாவின் உயிர்க்கு ஈடாகாது. (2/2) pic.twitter.com/kfNzP0LRqn

— M.K.Stalin (@mkstalin) November 17, 2022