Medical Negligence allegations: Kadaba community hospital personnel gets show-cause notice

Kadaba: A show cause notice has been served to the medical officer and staff of Kadaba government hospital by the Puttur Taluk Health Officer(THO) over allegations of medical negligence after an accident victim accused them of putting stitches on wounds without cleaning them.  

As per a media report in the Times of India, the patient had gotten injured in a two-wheeler accident on April 25 following which he had gone to the Kadaba hospital, where he was treated for his injury and sent home.  

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However, he went to a private lab for an X-ray on Wednesday when he observed that the wound was not healing and there was no improvement. The examiners told him to get immediately admitted to a hospital as stones were found in his wound. It was alleged that the staff sutured his wound without cleaning it first. 

The patient got to know that around 14 tiny stones were left behind in the wound. 

District health officer (DHO) Dr Kishore Kumar told the Daiji World, "I have spoken to the medical officer of Kadaba health centre. The medical officer told me that their personnel had given first aid and advised the injured victim to show the wound to a private doctor and he did not follow their instructions and went straight home. Later, he met a private doctor as his infection increased and on examination, the private doctor found stone pieces in the wound. Prima facie this looks like medical negligence by a medical officer and staff of the community health centre. So notice is served to them. If the negligence is proved, then disciplinary action will be taken on the concerned personnel."

THO Dr Deepak Rai told TOI, "Orally, I was informed that primary treatment was administered at the centre to the patient, and he was referred to a higher centre. We are waiting for the official written explanation from the treating doctor and administrative medical officer of the Kadaba CHC. It is alleged that the wound was sutured without proper cleaning, and hence dirt and small particles were left behind, which led to the wound not healing."

The accident victim is presently getting treated at a private hospital. The patient said that the medical officer of the Kadaba community health centre gave fake information to the DHO. 

The patient said, "After the community health centre personnel put stitches to my wound, they did not advise me to go to other hospitals. Even I did not find the need to go to any other medical facility. After two days, the pain increased and I went to the Kadaba community health centre again. Even at that time, the medical officer there did not ask me why I did not see a private doctor. Even when I showed the x-ray report, the medical officer there did not say anything." 

He added, "Later when my wound got more infection, I took one more x-ray and went to some other private hospital. There when the doctor examined the wound, he found out that the wound is not cleaned properly before putting stitches. The medical officer of the Kadaba community centre has provided false information to his superiors. A complaint will be filed separately in this regard with the concerned."