Doc: Sujatha was not pregnant
Actress K Sujatha, who died two years ago allegedly from consuming weed killer, was not pregnant at the time of her death as was widely rumoured, a coroner's inquest was told today.
Actress K Sujatha, who died two years ago allegedly from consuming weed killer, was not pregnant at the time of her death as was widely rumoured, a coroner's inquest was told today.
Dr Kiran Nair, the specialist who treated Sujatha when she was transferred to the first-class ward in the Tengku Ampuan Rahimah Hospital in Klang after being admitted on June 19, 2007, revealed this today.
The doctor said she had physically examined the deceased by applying pressure under the abdomen but felt nothing that could indicate that Sujatha was pregnant.
"Usually doctors can feel the foetus if it is 12 weeks or three months old, but in her case the foetus was not palpable," said Kiran.
Kiran also agreed to a suggestion by deputy public prosecutor Anselm Charles Fernandis that an autopsy would have determined the pregnancy for certain.
The inquest was told yesterday that an autopsy was not done on Sujatha despite a request from the police as the doctor on duty did not perform it.
Following her untimely death, there were speculations that it had something to do with her pregnancy.
Some had also linked her romantically with her employer at Maika Holdings S Vell Paari but he had denied such a relationship.
Kiran was testifying at the inquest into the death of Sujatha, 28, who died at the Tengku Ampuan Rahimah Hospital six days after her admission for allegedly drinking weed killer.
Thought it was cough syrup
On another matter, Kiran also said that urine tests conducted by her on Sujatha revealed no traces of paraquat.
However, she agreed that the negative results on paraquat traces in Sujatha's body were due to the three dialysis treatments she underwent while being warded.
The doctor, now attached to the Putrajaya Hospital, said Sujatha was under her supervision from June 21 onwards.
She also revealed that the Sujatha was conscious when she was brought to the first-class ward, and had admitted to her that she had consumed weed killer.
"She was able to verbally converse, despite severe ulcers in the mouth area... I asked her if what she had consumed, as I suspected her symptoms showed paraquat poisoning," she said.
"She replied that she accidentally consumed paraquat thinking it was cough mixture," added Kiran.
The doctor was also quizzed whether other specialists and doctors who observed Sujatha had complained on the treatment that was provided by Dr SP Sakthiveloo ( photo ).
To this, Kiran said no one complained about Sakthiveloo's treatment. He was the first to give her treatment when she was hospitalised.
She took fatal dosage
Lawyer C Vijayakumar representing Vell Paari then asked on the dosage of poison which would be fatal . Sujatha is said to have taken between 50cc (cubic centimetre) to 75cc of paraquat.
"If (according to studies) the patient had consumed less than 10ml (millilitre), it is not likely to be fatal... but if the patient had consumed more than 20ml it is almost 100 percent fatal," said Kiran.
Kiran also told magistrate Mohd Faizi Che Abu - sitting as a coroner - that the Klang hospital did not have the facilities to trace the poison through blood tests, and paraquat poisoning could only be traced through urine tests.
She added that was the reason that urine tests were repeatedly ordered although the test results were negative, according to laboratory reports.
She agreed that the results of the samples taken from Sujatha were very crucial to conclude conclusively that the actress had died due to poisoning.
Kiran said she was aware that the test results that were taken in the emergency department where the actress had first received medical attention had gone missing .
She added that it "happened frequently".
However, if the first samples were still available, Kiran said it would have positively shown traces of the weed killer.
The inquest continues on June 22.
Report lodged against witness
Meanwhile, Kapar parliamentarian S Manikavasagam today lodged a police report against Sujatha's younger brother K Surenthiran for giving false testimony at the inquest on Tuesday.
Manikavasagam said that Surenthiran had lied in testifying that he had offered the latter inducements in the form of contract to pursue the truth behind Sujatha's death.
Surenthiran told the inquest that he was contacted by Manikavasagam after becoming a parliamentarian and offered him the inducement to join forces to get to the bottom of his sister's death.
Manikavasagam today however said that Surenthiran was lying.
"I have never spoken to him at any time and I don't know him," said Manikavasagam in his police report lodged at the Brickfields police station this morning.
He urged the police to investigate Surenthiran for lying under oath.
Manikavasagam has been fighting to unearth the truth in the death of Sujatha. He had said that her family members' had enlisted his help.
Surenthiran however testified on Wednesday that the family had not approached anyone to help them to find the truth behind Sujatha's death.
Previous reports
Brother: Sujatha said she imbibed weed killer by accident
Docs say samples from actress went missing
Inquiry sought on cash Maika boss spent on actress
Sujatha's inquest: Doctor says it's suicide
Vell Paari admits spending lavishly on Sujatha
