Delhi Hospital Faces Wrath After Surgeon Operates On Patient’s Healthy Left Leg Instead Of Injured Right One
In an alleged case of medical negligence, doctors at a private hospital in New Delhi have been accused of wrongly operating upon the left leg of 24-year-old man instead of his injured right leg. A complaint has been registered against the hospital.
Ravi Rai, a resident of Ashok Vihar, injured his right leg after he fell from the stairs on Sunday. He was then rushed to Fortis Hospital at Shalimar Bagh and underwent tests, following which the doctors said that Ravi has suffered a fracture and that his condition was serious.
“After the doctors analyzed the condition of our son, they told us that there was a fracture in the ankle of his right leg and that they need to do surgery to insert pins in his ankle for support. We have agreed to it as it was important according to them. However, we were later shocked to know that instead of performing surgery on the injured leg, they operated on the other leg,” the patient’s father Ramkaran Rai said.
When Ravi Rai came to his senses after the surgery, he claimed about the wrong surgery and that’s how the doctors realized their error. Ravi then informed his parents, who took up the issue with the hospital authorities.
“We have also complained to the police. And we will also approach Medical Council of India (MCI) and Delhi Medical Association (DMA) for justice. How can they operate left leg when the injury is on the right leg? This is grave negligence,” the father said.
Meanwhile, the hospital authorities on Wednesday sacked two orthopedic surgeons, two nurses and an OT technician for operating on the wrong foot.
Ravi, a CA student, has been shifted to Max hospital in the same area where doctors have been cogitating over the next course of action.
Dr. Palash Gupta, associate director of joint replacement and orthopedics at Max hospital told TOI that the screws need to be removed from the undamaged heel first. “If the angle of the weight-bearing region of the injured heel is found to be extensively damaged, we might have to do surgery to stabilize it but that’s not been decided yet,” he said.