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Probe panel set up after wrong-hand surgery on child at Pandharpur hospital
A child had a finger amputated on the wrong hand at a Pune hospital, prompting an inquiry into the incident and raising patient safety concerns.
Pune:
A two-member inquiry committee has been constituted after a finger on the wrong hand of a child was amputated at a sub-district hospital in Pandharpur, triggering outrage and raising concerns over patient safety; officials said.
According to hospital authorities, a six-year-old boy with bilateral postaxial polydactyly (both hands having extra little fingers) was admitted to the hospital on March 27. He reportedly complained of clumsiness, pain and interference with grip and activity in a finger on his right hand and was advised to undergo surgery on the painful finger of his right hand. However, the operating doctor performed surgery on the boy’s left hand instead, amputating the finger on the wrong hand. Following this, the health department formed a two-member panel to probe the incident. The panel, helmed by Solapur district civil surgeon Dr Varsha Doifode, visited the hospital and recorded the statements of the hospital staff. The surgery was reportedly performed by Dr Varsha Kane and her team. The incident has triggered anger within the boy’s family and caused panic among other patients at the hospital. Activists have demanded strict action against the concerned doctor.
The boy’s family has alleged negligence, stating that surgery was performed on the wrong hand despite clear instructions. “We had come for removal of a finger on the right hand but doctors operated on the left hand instead,” a relative said. The family claimed that the consent form clearly stated the right hand and that the documents may have been fabricated.
Medical superintendent of the hospital, Dr Vijaykumar Sarde, said that a committee of two doctors has been formed to investigate the case. “A detailed inquiry will be conducted, and if the doctor is found guilty, a report will be sent to senior authorities for necessary action,” he said.
Hospital authorities have assured that appropriate action will be taken against those responsible. Meanwhile, locals alleged that patients at the facility have for long faced inadequate services and lapses in care, and demanded stricter monitoring of government hospitals.
