Allegations surface over Malayali woman's death in Canada; family demands investigation

ERNAKULAM: A 35-year-old woman, a native of Ernakulam, tragically died in Canada just hours after undergoing surgery. Namitha Sebastian, who has been living in Canada since 2014, recently completed a shoulder dislocation surgery at the University Hospital of Northern British Columbia on May 6th. Just six hours after the surgery, Namitha was discharged from the hospital.

Namitha, a customer care manager by profession, was found unresponsive in bed by her husband the next morning. It was later ascertained that she died in her sleep just hours after being discharged from the hospital. Namitha used to have bouts with seizures and had once done the Vagus Nerve Stimulation (VNS) implant procedure at Vancouver General Hospital in 2023.

The family raised doubts over the hospital discharging a patient with a neurological history, just hours after completing a surgery. Namitha leaves behind her husband, Jithin Jacob, a native of Ernakulam and their five-year-old daughter.

Namitha’s family demanded a thorough investigation to check whether it is a case of medical malpractice. The body is currently in Vancouver for autopsy proceedings.