Nurse severes newborn's Thumb at Tamil Nadu Hospital, family alleges negligence

Vellore: A shocking case of alleged medical negligence has emerged from the Government Medical College Hospital (GMCH) in Vellore, where a nurse reportedly severed the right thumb of a seven-day-old baby boy, cutting it off up to the nail.

Speaking to TNIE, S Vimalraj, the baby’s father, said that the nurse used scissors to remove a plaster placed at the injection site where the child was given drips, which resulted in the child’s thumb being cut. She could have used her hands for the procedure, the 29-year-old father said.

According to the news reports, the staff nurse has been identified as a 40-year-old resident of Adukkamparai village near the hospital. The nurse who has served at the hospital for the past seven years is now facing charges of medical negligence under the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS).

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The baby, born via Caesarean section to 23-year-old V Nivetha on May 24, was initially kept in an incubator and administered IV fluids due to the ingestion of amniotic fluid during delivery. The incident reportedly occurred around 11 a.m. on Friday, while the baby was still under hospital care.

The newborn’s grandmother, who was present during the incident, witnessed the profuse bleeding and raised an alarm. The nurse then reportedly rushed the baby to the ICU, misleading the family by stating another injection was required.

The child’s father mentioned that the hospital authorities only informed the family about the incident around 2:30 p.m., hours after it happened. They were then advised to transfer the child to Stanley Government Hospital in Chennai for specialized treatment and plastic surgery.

At Stanley Hospital, doctors stitched the severed portion of the thumb. The baby is currently in stable condition.

The family shared that the baby lost a significant amount of blood immediately after the tip of his thumb was cut. He was unable to bear the pain and cried uncontrollably, especially when the plaster was removed at the hospital in Chennai. Their current priority is the child’s recovery, and they mentioned that plastic surgery could be considered later, when he is a bit older.

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Based on a complaint by V. Pushpa (50), the baby’s grandmother, the Vellore Taluk Police registered a case against Devi for negligence under the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS), reports the Hindu.

According to TNIE, Vellore Collector V R Subbulaxmi said that once the parents return to Vellore after the child’s treatment, a medical team will be sent to investigate the incident with them, and appropriate action will be taken. She added that the dean of the hospital had informed her that the nurse should have used her hand instead of scissors in this case.