13-yr-old boxing champ dies of cardiac shock

Mumbai: On April 7, thirteen-year-old Gajendra Dubey called up his mother after he finished writing a paper at his Andheri school. He felt ill and could not wait for half an hour for his school bus to arrive. Little did his parents know that it wasn’t just examination fever or tiredness.
Gajendra, who was part of the boxing team at Andheri’s St Xavier’s School, died at Sion Hospital on April 10 due to cardiac shock.
Gajendra’s parents, numbed by his death, said he had never before complained of any illness or even discomfort. “When we took him to the hospital, there was a small obstruction in his intestines. Doctors said it could be removed through a minor operation but suggested that he undergo a 2D echo test. This was when we found that his heart was functioning at only 40% of its capacity,” said Dinesh, his father.
Gajendra had won a gold medal at the Mumbai School Sports Association’s boxing tournament in December 2014. The parents have alleged the tragedy could have been averted if the school had conducted medical checks before taking the boy into the boxing team. A cardiologist told TOI that exertion would not have be a reason for his heart trouble, considering he was just 13.
“The school had been training him everyday since June 2014. The school should take responsibility and ensure they conduct medical tests before picking students to represent the school at tournaments,” said the father.
Dinesh added his son’s friends said that just minutes before the tournament, a nurse had asked them a few questions about their weight and health. An official from the Mumbai School Sports Association told TOI: “A day before the tournament, a doctor does basic medical examination of the contestants and only after they are cleared, can they participate in it.”
The school, which is part of the Ryan Group of Institutions, has refuted that there was any negligence on their part. “The allegation that Gajendra died because the school did not take a fitness test before sending him to the tournament is incorrect. The medical tests were fully done, only after which Gajendra participated in the matches. There was no complaint from his family about any ill-health post the tournament. So this allegation three months later comes as a complete shock to us,” said Neti Srinivasan, chief operating officer, Ryan Group of Institutions.
The parents will approach the police on Saturday. “We do not want more children and parents to suffer due to such negligence,” said his father.