--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
WHAT'S LIPOSUCTION
* Liposuction is a type of cosmetic surgery. It removes unwanted excess fat to improve body appearance
* Liposuction may be useful for contouring under the chin, neck, cheeks, upper arms, breasts, other parts
* It's a procedure with risks, and it may involve a painful recovery and can have serious or rare fatal complications
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
-------------------------------
THE GOAN SPECIAL
-----------------------------
One-and-half month after registering an FIR, Mapusa police has yet to make an arrest in the case of the death of a 55-year-old woman from Mapusa after a liposuction procedure in January.
An FIR was registered against the Delhi-based doctor, Dr S Arora and Look, a Panaji-based clinic and others under Section 304 (culpable homicide not amounting to murder) read with 34 IPC on May 22.
Section 304 entails life imprisonment or a term which may extend up to ten years and the offences booked under this charge are bailable in nature.
However, coercive action has neither been initiated against the doctor nor has the police identified staff who were responsible for post-operative care at the hospital where she was recuperating after the procedure.
Bernandette Mascarenhas (55), resident of Ansabhat, Mapusa, underwent a liposuction surgery on January 26 this year at Looks, a Panaji-based cosmetic clinic. Four days later, on January 30, she passed away during post-operative treatment at Vision, a private hospital in Mapusa.
Speaking to The Goan, a member of the investigating team informed that the police are presently recording statements of those linked with the clinic and the hospital. This documentation could take around three to four weeks.
Mapusa police had initially registered a case of unnatural death.
However, Stephen D’Cunha, son of the deceased, filed a complaint against the Delhi-based doctor and his clinic prompting the police to forward the case papers long with autopsy report to the medical council of Goa Medical College and Hospital, Bambolim for an expert opinion.
Accordingly, a senior doctor from GMC submitted an inquiry report stating that this was a case of medical negligence resulting in the registration of an offence on May 22.
“As per the GMC report, it is clear that proper care was not taken post-surgery. The death occurred due to perforation of small intestine,” sources informed.
