Infant's arm amputated at Chennai Hospital: No medical negligence, says TN Govt

Opposition parties demanded Rs 50 lakh compensation to the affected family for the alleged medical lapse.

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Health Minister Ma Subramanian claimed the government medical professionals were doing everything within their means to save the boy who was referred to the Rajiv Gandhi Government General Hospital (RGGGH) here with several complications.

“This one-and-a-half-year boy is underweight — half the weight of normal kids of his age — and has several complications including cardiac problems,” he told reporters here.

Medical Dialogues team had earlier reported that in an alleged medical negligence incident at Rajiv Gandhi Government General Hospital (RGGGH), a one-and-a-half-year-old infant's family has accused doctors and nurses of amputating his right hand while undergoing treatment at the hospital. Taking note of the seriousness of the incident and the strong accusations against the doctors and the nurses, Health Minister Ma Subramanian assured the family that an enquiry would be conducted into the case, after which a panel was created.

The toddler was diagnosed with hydrocephalus — a neurological disorder caused by an abnormal buildup of cerebrospinal fluid in the brain. When he was five months old, the boy underwent ventriculoperitoneal shunting, the Minister explained. His parents hail from Ramanathapuram, he said.

“After his hand was amputated due to complications that suddenly arose, his parents were briefed. There has been no medical negligence on the part of the doctors or staff. The boy’s parents have been given the option to obtain a second opinion of the treatment being provided at the RGGGH,” he said and added that the government was willing to bear the medical expenses in case the parents opt to take treatment at any private hospital.

Hospital dean Dr E Theranirajan said the boy was referred to the RGGGH from the Egmore Government Hospital where he underwent treatment for a month to undergo an emergency ventriculoperitoneal shunt. His blood circulation became slow and he developed a thrombotic episode involving the right arm. As the thrombosis progressed, his arm had to be removed through a surgical procedure to save his life,” he said.

Dr Theranirajan said the boy suffered a cardiac arrest too and was revived. The government had already formed a high-level medical panel comprising three surgeons and the committee would submit its report to the government on Tuesday, he said.

However, claiming that medical negligence had led to the toddler losing an arm, AIADMK general secretary K Palaniswami demanded the government to provide Rs 50 lakh as compensation to the patient’s parents. In addition, he sought action on the “erring” medical staff.

BJP state vice president Karu Nagarajan too demanded the government should provide Rs 50 lakh as compensation to the boy’s family.

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