By The Hindu Bureau
Copyright thehindu
Doctors at the Government District Hospital here are facing scrutiny and protests after they disclaimed responsibility for a nine-year-old girl’s hand amputation, which followed treatment for a fracture.
The medical community’s stance has sparked widespread outrage and calls for accountability. Organisations like the Youth Congress, Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and the Welfare Party of India took out marches and demanded action against the doctors.
The girl’s mother has vowed to proceed with legal action against the doctors. Kerala Government Medical Officers Association (KGMOA) has demanded a comprehensive investigation into the incident. It condemned the attempts to tarnish the doctors.
The incident
Vinodini, from Pallassana, was brought to the district hospital here on September 24 with fractures below her right elbow after a fall. Initial treatment included plastering her hand. But her condition worsened, ultimately leading to amputation at the Government Medical College Hospital (MCH), Kozhikode.
Government District Hospital Superintendent P.K. Jayasree and District Medical Officer (DMO) T.V. Rosh said here on Sunday that the parents did not bring the child back to the hospital promptly, despite having been advised to do so if pain continued or her hand changed colour.
They said Vinodini’s hand could have been saved if the parents brought her back sooner. They claimed that proper treatment had been given for the fracture and wound. “We told them to return if she had pain, but they came back only on September 30, so we referred her to Kozhikode,” said Dr. Jayasree.
Rare complications
The doctors said Vinodini’s complications were rare and unrelated to the plaster or bandage. They said they did everything possible at the district hospital and welcomed any investigation into it.
Tony Joseph, head of the Orthopaedic department at the district hospital, said that the cause of the severe condition that led to the child’s hand amputation was unclear. He called for a thorough investigation into the incident at the Kozhikode MCH.
However, Vinodini’s mother, Praseetha, disputed the doctors’ claims. She alleged that the doctors had downplayed her daughter’s wound and prescribed ointment. “We told them about the severe pain and finger immobility on September 25, but they brushed it off saying it was due to the fracture,” Ms. Praseetha said.
Vinodini’s condition remained critical on Sunday. Ms. Praseetha alleged that the doctors were covering up a major medical error that led to her child’s hand amputation. She said she had approached Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan for help, and asserted that she would move legally.
KGMOA district president Manoj P.G. and secretary Vaisak Balan, while welcoming a comprehensive investigation into the incident, denied the allegations of any treatment lapse at at the district hospital. They said the child had become the victim of a rare complication.
Meanwhile, Mr. Vijayan has directed the Director of Medical Education to investigate the allegations that doctors at the Kozhikode MCH had rushed the amputation procedure.
Kulathur Jaising, a lawyer and activist, has sought action against doctors at the Kozhikode MCH for amputating the child’s hand without exploring alternative treatment options. He accused the doctors of failing to explore further treatment options.