2 doctors suspended over negligence in child's arm amputation at Palakkad Hospital

Palakkad: In a shocking case of alleged medical negligence at Palakkad District Hospital, the parents of a 9-year-old girl have accused the doctors of improper treatment after she was admitted with a broken bone in her right arm. What began as a simple fracture later led to the amputation at Government Medical College Hospital (GMCH), Kozhikode. Following an inquiry, the state health department has suspended two junior doctors in connection with the incident.

According to the parents, the child was being treated at the district hospital for a fracture in her right arm. The doctors had put her arm in a plaster cast, but the parents alleged it was not done properly. They also claimed that the doctors did not check the blood flow after plastering, which caused complications, leading her arm to swell and turn discoloured.

When the parents returned to the hospital with their child on September 30, doctors at the district hospital detected a blood clot and referred her to Kozhikode Medical College, where doctors said amputation was necessary.

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While the district hospital claimed it was a rare occurrence and denied medical negligence, blaming the parents for not returning promptly when the girl complained of pain, the family held the doctors responsible. Following this, Kerala Health Minister Veena George ordered an investigation.

The probe confirmed lapses in treatment, leading to the suspension of Junior Resident Dr Mustafa and Junior Consultant Dr Sarfaraz pending further inquiry and disciplinary action under Rule 10(1)(a) of the 1960 KCS (CCA), reports Kerala Kaumudi.

As per a TOI news report, the girl had fractured her arm on September 24 while playing with her brother. She was first taken to Chittur Hospital and later shifted to Palakkad District Hospital with a fracture and an open wound. The doctors conducted an X-ray, found two fractures, dressed the wound, applied a plaster cast, and sent her home.

However, the girl soon developed severe pain and could not move her fingers. When the family returned the next day, the doctors reassured them that some pain was normal, prescribed medicines, and asked them to come back after five days.

"The situation worsened over the next few days. My child was in severe distress, her fingers turned discoloured, blisters appeared, and there was infection and foul smell," said the mother. When they brought her back on Tuesday, doctors immediately referred her to Kozhikode Medical College.

There, doctors found that the blood flow to the arm was severely affected, leaving no option but to amputate the forearm. The girl is currently undergoing treatment at the Kozhikode Government Medical College.

Meanwhile, the district hospital superintendent, on the other hand, rejected the allegations, saying that all possible treatment was provided to the girl when she first came with a broken arm and what happened to her was a "rare occurrence" caused due to "unpredictable reasons".

The hospital superintendent, Dr P.K. Jayasree, in a statement, said that when the girl first came there on September 24 with a broken arm, the bones were set, the arm was covered in plaster, and it was checked whether the blood flow was normal. The next day, when the girl came to the hospital, she was examined, and there was no pain or swelling in her arm.

"The patient was advised to come to the hospital immediately if there was any pain or swelling, and if there was no such problem, to come for a review five days later," Dr Jayasree said in her statement, as per PTI news report.

The girl came to the hospital on September 30 with a swollen and discoloured arm in an extremely weak condition.

Immediately, the plaster cast was removed and a USF arterial doppler scan was carried out, which revealed that blood vessels were blocked in the arm, leading to the swelling and discolouration.

Following a cardiology consultation, the girl was referred to the Kozhikode medical hospital for cardiothoracic/plastic surgery, the superintendent said.

The girl’s parents have now decided to pursue legal action against the hospital and the doctors.

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