An official probe found no error and attributing the amputation to a rare complication. The family disputes the report’s findings, holding the doctors responsible and demanding strict action against them.
Palakkad (Kerala): The mother of the nine-year-old girl whose right arm was amputated in Kerala’s Palakkad has alleged medical negligence. Praseetha, the child’s mother, told Asianet News that they had taken her daughter to the district hospital on September 24 for an X-ray after she was injured while playing near her house in Pallassana. However, she alleged that the doctors did not examine the wound on the child’s arm and only applied a plaster cast. Despite repeated complaints of pain, the family was advised to return after five days. By the morning of September 30, the girl’s condition had worsened. According to Praseetha, the bone had broken and was protruding by then.
An investigation report on the incident has since been released, which states that there was no error on the part of the doctors. The report maintains that the girl received appropriate treatment at the Palakkad District Hospital and that when she was brought back on September 30, the blood circulation in her arm had already stopped. The report further notes that immediate first aid was given at the district hospital before the child was shifted to Kozhikode Medical College Hospital for further treatment.
Doctors Defend Procedure
The inquiry was conducted by two doctors appointed by the Palakkad District Medical Officer. Based on the statements of the duty doctor and the head of the department, the report was submitted to the DMO. The Kerala Government Medical Officers’ Association (KGMOA) has also come out in support of the doctors, stating that the medical team provided the maximum possible treatment under the circumstances. The association added that the amputation had become unavoidable due to a rare complication arising from the treatment.
The child eventually underwent amputation of her right arm at Kozhikode Medical College Hospital. Her family, however, has rejected the findings of the inquiry report, calling it false. They allege that no treatment was provided for the wound at the district hospital and that the doctors did not clean the injury or apply any medicines. According to them, even when they returned after four days, the wound was not properly examined. They clarified that they had not gone to the hospital on September 30 at the request of the doctors, but on their own after noticing that the child’s pain had increased and the colour of her arm had changed. Speaking to Asianet News, Praseetha demanded strict action against the doctors who had treated her daughter, holding them responsible for the amputation.