The death of a patient at the Government Medical College Hospital (MCH), Thiruvananthapuram, on May 30 soon after he fell face down from the cot in the general ward has triggered conversations on how patient safety issues were being treated lightly by hospital authorities.The patient, Wilfred, 62, of Peryam, Kollam, had been admitted at the hospital with severe jaundice and associated neurological issues such as altered sensorium. According to reports, he had been displaying confusion and aberrant behaviour. On May 30 evening, he fell face down from the cot in ward 5 and though he was rushed to the ICU, he died after a while.Hospital authorities have denied any negligence in treatment. Health Minister, K. Muraleedharan said here on Tuesday that action would be taken on the basis of what the patient’s post-mortem report reveals, whether the fall could have caused the patient’s death.Even when it is true that most public hospitals are overwhelmed by the heavy influx of patients, with in-patient admissions far more than the hospital’s bed strength, patient safety should not be compromised at any cost, said B. Ekbal, public health expert.”The incident is deeply unfortunate and could have been prevented if proper hospital protocols were followed. Hospital cots should necessarily have protective side rails. The risk of patients falling at night is serious and the staff on duty should ensure that the side rails are kept raised to prevent falls,” he said.A patient with altered sensorium would express restlessness and keeping such patients on beds without side rails would be dangerous.Prevention of falls is one among the core universal patient safety measures that hospitals should follow, apart from infection control, medication safety, wristbands to identify patients clearly and communication protocols.In tertiary care hospitals like Thiruvananthapuram medical college hospital, doctors said that they are forced to admit patients even when the bed strength is inadequate because very often these patients need care.Patients are accommodated on the floor and very often two patients might be sharing a cot too— a situation wherein side rails become unusable. Even well-trained hospital staff are prevented from implementing safety protocols in such situations. Published - June 02, 2026 09:51 pm IST