Quack brothers arrested after botched surgery kills minor boy in UP

Kaushambi: In a shocking case of quackery, two brothers, both having passed only class 12, were arrested for allegedly posing as surgeons and performing surgery on a five-year-old boy at a private hospital on Charwa Manuri Road, resulting in the child's death.   

According to a latest media report by TOI, the duo with no medical qualifications and knowledge carried out a risky procedure where they removed an intramedullary rod used to stabilise a fractured bone in the child’s leg, which led to severe bleeding and infection. The complications were fatal and reportedly took the boy's life. 

Apart from posing as doctors without holding medical degrees, the brothers were operating a hospital opened four years ago and licensed under the name of their third brother, who, shockingly, is a farmer with no ties to the medical field. Police also confirmed that the hospital was sealed last year and found it operating this year when the incident came to light. 

On March 16, Ram Asre, a local from Siriyawa Kala village, filed a complaint claiming that his son, Divyanshu, was treated negligently in the absence of a senior doctor at Anmol Hospital, which resulted in his death, Superintendent of Police Rajesh Kumar said.

Subsequently, a case was registered in the Charwa police station under Section 105 (punishment for culpable homicide not amounting to murder) of the BNS.

On May 25, the police arrested 26-year-old Vikas Kumar and 25-year-old Vishesh Kumar, locals of Kaushambi district, in connection with the death of the minor.

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During interrogation, the accused admitted that they opened a hospital named Anmol, registered in the name of their brother, Sanjay Kumar. The police alleged that the brothers promoted themselves as doctors despite not having a medical degree.

Asre admitted his son to Anmol Hospital for treatment on March 16. TOI has reported that the minor boy had suffered injuries to his leg four months ago. He was taken to professional doctors who operated on him with an intramedullary rod to treat his broken leg. Once the wounds healed, the father decided to contact doctors to remove the rod from the leg. 

When the surgeon scheduled to operate on Divyanshu's leg could not reach the hospital on time, the brothers took matters into their own hands. They then proceeded to operate on Divyanshu and removed an iron rod from his leg, during which the child died, police said.

Divyanshu's parents filed a complaint the same day, after which a case was registered and the police began their investigation. Following the incident, the private hospital was sealed by the Kaushambi Chief Medical Officer in March.

Meanwhile, the police also revealed that a joint team of administration and health officials sealed the same hospital last year, but it was found operational this year. Police officials have also written to senior health officials in this regard.

Kaushambi chief medical officer Sanjay Kumar told TOI, "The department has deputed a team to probe as to how the hospital was running without a valid registration and action would be initiated accordingly. Health officials are coordinating with senior police officials to tighten the noose around quacks."

After being arrested by the police, the accused duo confessed to their crime during interrogation. They alleged that they operated on the boy out of greed for money. They are currently in custody, and an investigation in this regard is underway to determine the extent of their illegal activities. 

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