Nuh hospital warns doctors, staff over surgery on 4-yr-old’s wrong leg

An ultrasound report had incorrectly mentioned the right leg instead of the infected left leg, which hospital authorities attributed to a typographical error.

Two weeks after a four-year-old boy was operated on the wrong leg, a committee at Shaheed Hasan Khan Mewati (SHKM) Government Medical College and Hospital has submitted its investigation report, with the hospital director saying doctors involved in the surgery and ultrasound staff have been issued “warnings for negligence”, officials said on Tuesday.

SHKM director Mukesh Kumar said he received the report on Tuesday and that action had been taken in accordance with the committee’s recommendations. “As per committee recommendations, the doctors involved in the surgery and the ultrasound staff have been given warnings for their negligence,” he said.

According to the family’s complaint cited by Kumar, the incident took place on July 23, when the four-year-old was taken to the hospital for an abscess on his left leg. However, after he was brought out of the operation theatre, his family noticed that doctors had operated on his right leg instead of the infected left leg. After the family pointed out the error, the doctors took the child back into the operation theatre and operated on his left leg, Kumar said, citing the complaint.

Health officials said the surgery was performed by junior doctors and postgraduate students. The investigation also found that the ultrasound report had incorrectly mentioned the “right leg” instead of the “left leg”. Hospital authorities attributed this to a typographical error.

The action comes after the child’s father wrote to Nuh deputy commissioner Akhil Pilani, complaining about the hospital’s handling of the incident. According to health officials, the father alleged in his letter that the medical board had asked him to compromise and settle the matter internally.

Kumar, however, said asking the family whether it wanted to pursue the matter was part of the standard investigation protocol. “No one pressurised the family. They were free to take their own decision,” he said.

Kumar added that the hospital had not received any communication from the DC’s office.

Pilani said he had not personally seen the letter. “I will coordinate with the chief medical officer in the matter and appropriate action will be taken if any foul play is found,” he said.

HT had earlier reported that the child’s father alleged that the surgeon admitted the error and subsequently operated on the other leg. The doctor allegedly told him there was “nothing to worry about” and that the matter would be looked into. The family subsequently submitted a written complaint to the hospital’s medical administration, he had said.

HT also contacted the boy’s family for comment, but they were unavailable at the time of filing this report.