Botched Surgery on 4-year-old at Kozhikode MCH: Health Minister acknowledges surgical error

In a statement made on
Monday at the Assembly, Minister George revealed that the surgical team
erroneously conducted a tongue-tie procedure instead of excising the sixth
finger on the child’s hand. She condemned the doctor and
confirmed that immediate action was taken against the responsible doctor on the
same day of the incident.

Minister George also
addressed allegations from the Opposition, who have criticized the quality of
care in public hospitals following this incident. She denounced what she
described as a smear campaign aimed at discrediting the public healthcare
system, reaffirming her commitment to maintaining high standards of medical
care, reports The Hindu. 

The erroneous surgery has
sparked significant concern and has led to calls for stricter oversight and
better training to prevent such incidents in the future. The Health Minister
assured the public that the government is taking steps to improve the oversight
of medical procedures and ensure that such negligence does not occur again.

Medical Dialogues team had earlier reported the incident where the State Government suspended the doctor working in the post of Associate Professor for allegedly conducting surgery on a four-year-old girl’s tongue
instead of her finger. The little girl was
taken to the operating theatre at the Government Medical College Hospital for
the removal of her sixth finger. However, hours later, when she emerged from
the surgery, it was discovered that the operation was performed on her tongue ‘mistakenly’.

Apart from being suspended by State Health
Minister Veena George, the treating doctor was also booked under Indian Penal
Code (IPC) Sections 336 (endangering the life or personal safety of others) and
337.